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April 13, 2013

If you're in the mood for a chopped salad, stop by the just-opened Chop Stop in Encino (in a former Baskin-Robbins space in a CVS center). Open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, order a custom salad (choose lettuces, toppings, etc.) or one of the dozen fixed salad combinations (such as Cobb) on the menu. Prices range from $6.99 to $9.24 each. Any of the salad mixtures can be made into a wrap. The first restaurant of the same name was opened in Burbank at 1001 N. San Fernando Blvd., 818-846-3560, last December. No liquor. A few desserts and frozen yogurt are also available. 17332 Ventura Blvd. 818-990-2400. www.chopstop.com.

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Looking for an amazing, fresh, chopped salad in Los Angeles? We found it in Encino! EncinoMom's Lisa Keating is there with the Encino Chamber of Commerce as The Chop Stop owner, Mark Kulkis opened his new store on Ventura Boulevard. Hooray! Join us for the virtual ribbon-cutting video here or try this fresh faire for yourself and be sure to follow us as we continue to highlight some of the great Tastes of Encino!

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Chop Stop celebrated the opening of its second location in Encino Tuesday morning, with a ribbon cutting ceremony and complimentary menu samples for the neighborhood.

The new healthy addition to the community's dining scene is located at 17332 Ventura Blvd.

The idea for the restaurant came to owner Mark Kulkis, 46, in June of last year when he found himself craving a chopped salad late at night, and wasn't sure where to go. He opened the first location in Burbank in January.

More than two dozen people helped usher in the new restaurant, including members of the Encino Chamber of Commerce and Valley Field Deputy to Council Member Paul Koretz, Jeff Ebenstein, who awarded Kulkis with a certificate from the City of Los Angeles.

"It's great to have something healthy and affordable like this opening in this economy," Ebenstein said.

Among the salad samples passed throughout the crowd were the Viva Mexico Chop, Asian Chop, and Caesar Chop. The Viva Mexico Chop is a customer favorite, according to Kulkis.

The store offers 12 chopped salads that Kulkis and General Manager Joey Gonzalez designed, but clients are welcome to create their own "chops" as well.

The menu offers each customer an easy three-step walk-through on "how to make a chop":

Step one: Pick a green.

Step two: Pick any six toppings from veggies, meats, and nuts to fruits, beans and cheeses.

Step three: Choose a dressing.

Once ordered and prepared fresh, the salads are packaged in containers that are completely compostable. The cutlery is made with plant starch and the to-go bags are earth-friendly as well.

The restaurant also serves frozen yogurt that can be topped with some of the chopped nuts and fruit.

Kulkis opened Chop Stop in the Valley because he feels it's underserved when it comes to healthy dining options, he said.

"If this does as well as Burbank, in another six to nine months, I'll open another one," Kulkis said.

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Fast Casual Salads Come to Encino Via Chop Stop - After seven months of business in Burbank, Chop Stop owner Mark Kulkis is preparing to debut a second location of his chopped salad cafe. Tomorrow Chop Stop officially hits Encino bringing twice as much wiggle room and the same lunchy Burbank menu save for the addition of... can you guess? Froyo. Kulkis explains that "since all our salad toppings are chopped and a fair number could be transferred to yogurt...[there's] nice synergy." If eatery two proves to be as popular as eatery one, Kulkis plans to expand yet again in about six to nine months and keep going from there.

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Chop Stop (17332 Ventura Blvd., Encino, CA 91316, 818.990.2400, chopstop.com) has opened their second location (first being in Burbank). Now in Encino with the same Burbank menu plus (my fav) Froyo. Hopefully it's a success, and they can continue to expand like they want!

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Nestled in a stucco shopping center on San Fernando Boulevard is a new, fresh restaurant: Chop Stop.

The restaurant, which celebrated its ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, January 7, offers a wide variety of chopped salads, which owner Mark Kulkis recognized was a traditional, delicious meal option that was missing from the L.A. food scene.

"I was looking for a good chopped salad and couldn't really find one in L.A.," he said. "So I went home, made my own and came up with the idea to open my own restaurant."

A newcomer to the restaurant world, Kulkis assembled recipes, using his friends and family as taste testers. He incorporated their comments into his menu, which features 12 salads that vary from the Chop Stop Classic to the BBQ Chop.

But Kulkis insisted that the customer should be allowed to add or remove ingredients to his recipes and bases his menu on the idea that anyone can create any kind of salad he or she chooses.

The premise is simple: choose a green; a dressing; and then any veggies, fruits, meats, beans and cheese you want. (A customer can even add "crunch," which includes sunflower seeds, tortilla strips and nuts.)

Using set measurements, "chop-makers" combine these ingredients. The result is a perfect melody of complimentary textures and flavors, all combined in one bowl.

Joey Gonzalez, Kulkis' general manager, shares Kulkis' passion for providing fresh, delicious meals. Like Kulkis, he also recognized the need for such a restaurant.

"To me, this is an untapped market in the restaurant business," Gonzalez said.

A primary goal for Gonzalez was to make sure customers didn't wait longer than three minutes for their food.

"The production line is very specific, very streamlined, so that our customers can get their food as fast as possible," he said.

Gonzalez recognized the restaurant as not just a trend, but a serious addition to the food culture in Southern California.

"I told Mark when he hired me, 'If I don't take the job I'm going to kick myself because there's eventually going to be a Chop Stop on every corner.'"

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Mark Kulkis went undercover for a little industrial espionage before launching his gleaming new specialty salad bar, the Chop Stop, on San Fernando Road in Burbank last week.

Kulkis was hired on at an entry-level job at a nearby chain restaurant that he declined to name. He took the job because he wanted a minimum-wage worker's eye view of restaurant operations.

"I wanted franchise experience, because that's what I hope to do," Kulkis said.

The Chop Stop serves up chopped salads with a variety of toppings and flavors, offering a health-conscious and price-conscious choice for customers. The store, in the 1001 North San Fernando Road center anchored by Henry's Farmers Market, opened to a crowd of curious shoppers and Burbank Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors on Friday.

The menu offers nearly 20 specialty salads. Customers can turn over their own leaf by selecting the greens, dressings and toppings - from almonds to edamame, or Cajun chicken to cucumbers - from an extensive list of possibilities. The restaurant also serves freshly made wraps and soups.

Kulkis said he found himself whipping up one interesting chop salad meal after another in his Silver Lake home, but when he noticed that they weren't on many local menus, he saw a window of opportunity.

"All my research indicated the time was right for this, especially in L.A.," Kulkis said.

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Ever since I can remember, I have always been a salad person. Salads used to be special things to restaurants but in recent years have just become something on the menu that does not take much time or effort.

I, for one, am an iceberg lettuce fan. Every time I order a salad with iceberg lettuce, I get the lettuce with carrots and purple cabbage, which tells me they just opened a bad and poured it on the plate - it just is not fresh.
There's finally a place that has got it right. It's called the Chop Stop and is located at 1001 San Fernando Road in the Henry's parking lot. What's hard to believe that in a state like California, which is the 'fitness' state, that no one has come up with this concept before.
When you walk in, you get a chance to customize your salad the way you want it, with what you want in it.
It starts with the lettuce, and yes, the iceberg is fresh without the extras - just iceberg. They also have Romaine and Spinach.
Next you move to the toppings and there are 35 to choose from. You can have 6 and for a small charge, keep adding. There are veggies and fruit, meats, beans and cheese, and crunches that you can add.
You then pick one of the 13 dressings and within minutes you get a tossed, chopped salad that they claim you can eat with a spoon, although I still choose the traditional fork. The portion is good and filling and is given to you in a covered package so you can take it with you if you do not finish it.
You can also choose to have your salad made into a wrap which they make with a whole wheat tortilla. They also have soups.
The salad is mixed well and the last bite will taste as good as the first, with the flavors coming through. You can also tell that each ingredient is used liberally.
The Chop Shop is an idea that is long overdue and not only meets a quick lunch niche, but also gives you a great meal.

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Fast, Fresh, Casual: The Chop Stop just opened on N. San Fernando Blvd in Burbank. The theme? Chopped, of course! This fast casual eatery quickly prepares salads, wraps and soups with over 40 chopped ingredients of proteins, veggies, cheeses. Make it their way or customize it your way. 1001 N. San Fernando Blvd. #110 Burbank, CA 91504 (818) 846-3560 (just north of Burbank Blvd) Mon - Sun: 10am-9pm.

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BURBANK- The fast-casual salad news never stops. Tomorrow Vice-Mayor of Burbank, Jess Talamantes, helps usher in Chop Stop, a chopped salad experience. Why butcher that salad? Because "when you chop a salad so fine you can eat it with a spoon the flavors of the ingredients combine together in every bite for a taste explosion." Check out the full menu here, head over tomorrow for some freebies. [EaterWire]

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