Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes Makes Family Meals Healthy, Affordable and Fun

SAN DIEGO, March 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes restaurants nationwide are making healthy eating even more fun at their restaurants this month. Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp., the parent company of 119 Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes restaurants, recognizes that healthy eating habits start at a young age and parents are the key influencers and educators cultivating their kids' eating habits.

Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes restaurants offer kids an opportunity to build their own delicious meal from a 55-foot salad bar featuring numerous vegetable options, tossed salads and deli salads and eight made-from-scratch soups, muffins, focaccia, pasta and a fruit bar. The variety of foods is sure to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. And, parents can feel good about the variety of foods since everything the restaurants serve are made-from-scratch each day, every day and the food is changed out every 20 minutes.

Parents Magazine recently acknowledged Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes restaurants as a great place for families. The April issue of the magazine, available on newsstands and tablets March 15, lists Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes restaurants as one of 10 Best Restaurant Chains. Over 150 chain restaurants were considered, and Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes restaurants were chosen for the honor thanks to its variety of healthy options and convenience, all while being fun for the whole family.

While eating healthy at Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes is fun for guests of all ages, it also offers value for parents wanting to ensure their children eat well. For under $5, a child can get the full salad bar and buffet meal, which includes choices from pre-made and create-your-own salads, soups, muffins, focaccia, fruit, pasta and soft serve ice cream.

"The healthy all-you-care-to-enjoy atmosphere is a great opportunity for parents to encourage their children to try new foods, and saves parents the time from washing, cutting and chopping their kid's veggies," said Joan Scharff, VP of Brand and Menu Strategy.

Eating at Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes restaurants can also be educational for kids. The salad bar features fun facts about the food as well as nutritional and health benefits information. Kids can also go online with the help of their parents to check out the "Sprouts Only" section on the restaurants website. There they will find fun games, coloring sheets and puzzles, all of which encourage healthy eating habits. And, as a bonus to parents, coupons for kid's meals are often available within the "Sprouts Only" page.

In addition to the kids' meal value at Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes restaurants, all of the Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes locations across the country will be featuring fun menu items throughout the month of March.

Classic Menu Favorites: For the month of March Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes restaurants will feature classic childhood favorites like Grilled Cheese Focaccia made with a delicious blend of natural cheeses and made-from-scratch Classic Creamy Tomato Soup.

Breakfast for All Ages: Some mornings there's nothing better than having someone else cook you a warm, healthy breakfast. Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes are relaunching Sunday breakfasts across their restaurants on March 6 with some new menu items including baked cinnamon apples; chilaquiles, which are a traditional Mexican egg casserole; roasted potatoes; and baked doughnut muffins. Breakfast prices remain under $10 for adults and under $6 for kids.

Take-Home Cookie Dough: For a limited time Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes restaurants will also help families bring home the fun with chocolate chip and peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough buckets available for $5.99 each. Each bucket makes about 48 cookies and the dough can be frozen, giving parents an easy way to bake sweet treats in moderation. Cookie dough buckets will be sold at Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes restaurants throughout the month of March as supplies last.

For more information on Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp., visit www.souplantation.com or www.sweettomatoes.com and check out the Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes blog at blog.souplantation.com. Guests can also become a fan of Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes at www.facebook.com/souplantation and follow Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes on Twitter at http://twitter.com/souplantation.

About Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp.

Celebrating over 30 years, Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp. is a leader in the restaurant industry, having established a unique and successful business model for casual dining that has grown since 1978. The company's chain of Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes restaurants now totals 119 salad buffet-style restaurants across the western, southern and eastern portions of the United States. Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes offers an exceptional, healthful dining experience with a daily selection of eight made-from-scratch soups and salads and hand-crafted muffins, pizza focaccia, breads and warm desserts. By combining high-quality, farm-fresh and scratch-made foods for a fixed price, the restaurants provide guests with the freedom to create their own unique meals. Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes are built around fresh prepared, great-tasting recipes with a salad bar full of seasonal vegetables and tossed salads prepared exhibition-style every 20 minutes. Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes restaurants are open daily for lunch and dinner and also for a special Sunday breakfast that features a variety of delicious morning favorites in addition to regular selections. For more information about Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes restaurants visit www.souplantation.com or www.sweettomatoes.com.

SOURCE Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp.