Two franchise food retailers have found common ground in a new partnership to boost healthy eating.

SumoSalad, and Red Rooster (which is owned by Quick Service Restaurants) have announced a new partnership that will see SumoSalads served in Red Rooster restaurants across the country.

Two custom designed SumoSalad’s will today be introduced to the Red Rooster menu at all stores nationally. Zesty Pumpkin Couscous Salad and Red Pesto Penne Salad have been specifically created to match Red Rooster’s roast chicken flavours.

Anna Jones, national marketing manager for Red Rooster told FranchiseBusiness “It’s a first. This is not a one-off campaign, we are going in with a long term vision. This is a one year commitment but we will see how this campaign goes. 

“We gave SumoSalad the challenge to complement the chicken flavours and the salads are bespoke to us,” she said.

The salad ingredients will be delivered from SumoSalad’s suppliers and mixed on site.

This is the latest leap in Red Rooster’s Real Food journey which started last year when the chicken chain removed all artificial colours, flavours and added MSG from their kitchen made menu.

Jones said “This partnership shows how serious we are about our real food credentials at Red Rooster. We are extremely excited about our partnership with SumoSalad.”

SumoSalad CEO Luke Baylis told FranchiseBusiness demand for its healthy fresh food currently oustrips the 120 outlets in the salad chain. 

“We’re thrilled today to announce this partnership with Red Rooster which will see our salads served in over 350 Red Rooster restaurants nationally. SumoSalad is always looking to expand its influence and help Australians eat healthier food with purpose.

“We wanted to do something really tasty and unique so people could see the high quality of the salads, but if they want to try the whole range, they have to come to SumoSalad.”

Both salads will be available as part of the a la carte menu as well as a part of a selection of value combos.

Baylis said the salad business is very focused on the Red Rooster initiative. “We believe they are putting a lot of investment into the brand and have made a huge change to their offer. A huge part is roast chicken, which is different from high fat options available in other takeaway chains. We hope this is the first of many healthier options to come.”

So watch this space, because there will be other major partnerships to be announced in the next few weeks, he said.

“This is exciting, a great space for us.”

• What else is happening at Red Rooster?