The first Souplantation restaurant opened on Mission Gorge Road in San Diego in 1978. It was the idea of Dennis Jay who was a bartender at the Bull & Bear in El Cajon. He had a dream and talked with two friends of his. One was an attorney and the other a bail bondsman. This restaurant and a second one were purchased in 1983 by Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp., founded by Michael Mack to operate the chain.
The company has expanded across the west and southwest and has locations in several Southeast states including 28 restaurants in Florida. They also have stores in Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, and Utah. All restaurants are company-owned.
In 2005, an affiliate of the private investment firm Sun Capital Partners purchased Garden Fresh and with it the restaurant chains. As of 2012 the company had 112 restaurants in 15 states and claims to have served "300 million guests since 1978."
The company has expanded across the west and southwest and has locations in several Southeast states including 28 restaurants in Florida. They also have stores in Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, and Utah. All restaurants are company-owned.
In 2005, an affiliate of the private investment firm Sun Capital Partners purchased Garden Fresh and with it the restaurant chains. As of 2012 the company had 112 restaurants in 15 states and claims to have served "300 million guests since 1978."