PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Instead of going to a drive-thru for a salad, Southwest customers could soon be pulling up to the same building for a cup of coffee.
Court documents filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Texas show that Boersma Bros, LLC, the Oregon-based holding company tied to the founders of Dutch Bros Coffee, agreed to purchase Salad And Go’s assets for $105 million. The popular Arizona-based salad chain announced this week that it would be closing its doors permanently.
Under the agreement, Dutch Bros will take over Salad And Go’s leases and equipment at its Arizona and Nevada drive-thru locations, converting them to sell coffee, beverages, and food. The documents note the locations do not require major structural alterations because they already operate in drive-thru-only formats.
A deposit of $10 million has already been paid, with the remaining balance due at closing.
Court documents show that several companies were interested in the sale, and two ended up in negotiations in late July. Both companies submitted offers, but Salad And Go chose Dutch Bros to be the buyer.
“New shop growth is one of the most important drivers of our long-term strategy, and this potential site acquisition demonstrates how we’re investing to accelerate that growth,” Christine Barone, chief executive officer and president of Dutch Bros, said in a statement. “These sites would expand our leadership position across Arizona, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Texas, where we’ve built strong brand awareness and see a significant opportunity to continue densifying our footprint.”
In the court filings, the salad chain said operating losses, dead rent and other factors contributed to the decision.
“…rising gas prices, reduced consumer spending, and the cyclospora outbreak significantly accelerated cash losses over the 90 days immediately preceding the Petition Date,” a portion of court documents state.
At its peak, there were 146 Salad And Go locations in Arizona, Nevada, Oklahoma and Texas.
Healthy fast food option gone
Salad And Go announced that 70 drive-thru locations in Arizona and Nevada will close by the end of the day Wednesday. In January, the company closed all locations in Texas and Oklahoma, according to CBS News, and in September 2025, Salad and Go announced it was closing more than 40 stores across the country.
The sudden closures caught many loyal customers off guard on Wednesday.
“I just found out while I was waiting in line, and I’m a little disappointed by that because we don’t need more coffee,” said customer Johnnie McDonald, who waited in line for an hour on the chain’s final day.
“I was not planning on that bankruptcy; that blew my mind,” customer Brandon Brown said. “Do we need more Dutch Bros?”
Brown, who works in the finance industry, expressed concern for the workers who are now unexpectedly out of a job. “I would love to hire someone if they’re good like here,” he said.
At the 7th Avenue and Indian School Road location in Phoenix, the store ran out of food and closed by 3 p.m.
“I feel really good. I was having a struggle day, but now I feel even better. She just brought me a drink, so I’m excited,” said the final customer to be served at the Phoenix location.
Salad And Go had roughly 1,300 employees when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Of that, 521 were full-time workers, and 779 worked part-time. The vast majority, 1,163 employees, were hourly wage earners.
Former employees witnessed the warning signs of the company’s abrupt downfall.
Hannah Hippensteel worked at Salad and Go for more than five years, previously serving on the corporate team that opened new stores. She quit about two months ago after seeing the “writing on the wall,” but she showed up on Wednesday to lend a helping hand to former co-workers and pass out menus to those waiting in the long lines.
“Earlier this year they closed down all the locations in Oklahoma and Texas, and again that was in my brain like red flag time to start looking,” Hippensteel said. ”I don’t want to bash any one decision or anything like that, but I do think as a collective it was just too many of the wrong decisions.”
Other employees, like Cadance McCoy and Mariah Cyprian, said they are now scrambling to figure out their next step.
“Yes, this was actually my only job. And you know, I just got a car, and I was actually relying on this job to pay for my car,” Mccoy said.
“So, now I have to tell my roommate like the whole situation that happened, hoping that she won’t kick me out,” Cyprian said.
Dutch Bros was founded in 1992 by brothers Dane and Travis Boersma in Grants Pass, Oregon. The company moved its headquarters to Tempe in June 2025 and has more than 100 locations across Arizona.
Dutch Bros did not respond to Arizona’s Family’s questions about future plans for the assets and locations.
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