The locally based chain currently operates two units in New York City in Manhattan and another in Livingston, NJ. A Ft. Lauderdale unit is scheduled to open early next year, and the company will start the chain's initial expansion in Florida and New Jersey, Eric Schmitt, Tossed's president and CEO, told GSR.

Beyond that, the company will target all of the major markets in the US, as well as selected secondary trade areas, where the 2,400-sf stores are near other high-traffic tenants. "We'd like to be in strip centers that have a lot of draw," he says.

Tossed offers specialty salads, and customers can build their own from an extensive list of ingredients. Also on the menu are sandwiches, soups and crepes. The average ticket price, says Schmitt, is $9.50 to $10.