Thomas Heath's Chop't Column By the Numbers

Capital Business columnist Thomas Heath devoted his "Value Added" column this week to Chop't Creative Salad Company, the omnipresent salad shop where Heath is a regular customer. The writer dons an apron and grabs a mezzaluna (what they call those chopping knives) to see how the salad operation works during its busiest hours. Here are some takeaways from the article, by the numbers:

33 percent: About how much of a Chop't location's business comes from the dinner rush.

2: The number of central kitchens the company has nationwide: one of them is in Rockville.

3-4: The average number of management staff at each Chop't location.

9: How many locations Chop't has right now in the DC area.

10: The maximum number of minutes that constitutes an acceptable wait time for a Chop't salad.

16: How many locations Chop't would like to have in the DC market.

30: The average number of employees at a DC-area Chop't location.

250: How many customers Chop't serves, on average, between noon and 1 p.m. daily.

$2,500: About how much money Chop't grosses on those salads; the company earns about $2 profit per salad.

Between $2 million and $3 million: The average annual revenue for a Chop't restaurant.

· Value Added: Behind the counter at Chop't, a lesson in keeping the line moving [CapBiz]
· All Previous Chop't Coverage [-EDC-]