Salata restaurant coming to Wheeling

Salata, a chain that serves salads and wraps, will open its first Illinois restaurant in Wheeling, the local franchisee and regional developer said this week.

Dan Campbell hopes to open the restaurant by July 1 at 1083 Lake-Cook Road in Lexington Commons Plaza, near the new Starbuck's. Campbell, currently manager of Shoreacres Golf Club in Lake Bluff, said he plans to open at least six restaurants in the North Shore area in five years.

Salata is Latin for salad, and the first restaurant opened in 2005 in Houston, according to the company's website, salata.com.

Now there are 38 restaurants in Texas and the Los Angeles area, said Campbell, and he said in a letter to village officials that the number is expected to more than double in the next two years.

The salads range in price from $8-$14, he said. Diners start with their choice of lettuce and veggies, fruits, nuts and cheeses, the website says.

A choice of chicken or seafood raises the price. And any of the choices are available wrapped in a tortilla. Customers can choose from more than 50 ingredients, Campbell wrote.

The company makes its own dressings and also serves soups and brownies.

The Wheeling restaurant with 43 indoor seats and eight outside will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, according to documents filed with the village.

The restaurant will be busiest during lunch hours, Campbell said in the letter. This fact, when compared with the busy times for other businesses in the shopping center, contributed to the village board's decision Monday to grant a reduction in the number of parking spaces required.