The bankruptcy of Salad & Go has put 65 drive-thru leases across four states up for grabs, sparking a bidding war between two of the fastest-growing beverage chains in the US. Dutch Bros and 7 Brew, both franchise brands, are heading to a court-supervised auction on August 31 after a competing bid upended a $105 million deal reached earlier this month.
Salad & Go was founded in Arizona in 2013 and grew to 146 restaurants across Arizona, Nevada, Texas, and Oklahoma. Its expansion into Texas and Oklahoma ultimately proved costly: problems tied to site selection, brand awareness, and a commissary production model strained operations. The chain closed those markets and its Garland, Texas production facility, but the cuts were not enough to stop the cash burn. The company filed for Chapter 11 in early August 2026 and closed its remaining roughly 70 restaurants. Investors had provided approximately $27 million in new capital between December 2025 and January 2026, but operating losses, rent on closed stores, and wind-down costs consumed most of those funds.
A $105 Million Agreement, Then a Competing Bid
Under an asset purchase agreement signed August 4, Dutch Bros agreed to acquire leasehold interests and site-related assets tied to 51 Salad & Go locations in Arizona and Nevada, plus 14 additional leases in Texas and Oklahoma, for a total of roughly 65 properties at a purchase price of $105 million. Less than two weeks later, 7 Brew submitted a competing proposal. Salad & Go’s bankruptcy advisers determined the 7 Brew offer qualified as an “Alternative Transaction” under the terms of the original Dutch Bros agreement. A federal bankruptcy judge approved a targeted two-party auction on Thursday, August 28, limiting competition to the two chains rather than opening bidding to all potential buyers. 7 Brew’s purchase price was not disclosed in publicly available court documents.
The Auction Mechanics: Break Fees and Remaining Leases
Under the court-approved structure, the party whose bid is displaced at Monday’s auction owes a termination fee of $3.8 million plus reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, including attorneys’ fees. For 7 Brew’s bid to qualify as superior, it must cover the $105 million Dutch Bros price, assumed liabilities, the $3.8 million termination fee, and an additional $10 million on top. Not all 65 leases are required to sell Monday. Properties that neither chain claims can move to separate auctions scheduled for October 1 for Arizona and Nevada assets and October 2 for Texas and Oklahoma assets, followed by a sale hearing on October 14. This structure gives both chains the option to be selective about specific markets and locations within the portfolio.
Two Different Growth Models, the Same Drive-Thru Footprint
Dutch Bros operates primarily through company-owned and -operated locations. Founded in Grants Pass, Oregon, the chain has grown to more than 900 locations nationwide and trades on the New York Stock Exchange. Acquiring the Salad & Go lease portfolio would allow it to enter Texas and Oklahoma markets without the typical lead time of site selection, permitting, and new construction. 7 Brew, founded in Rogers, Arkansas in 2017, operates through a franchise model: its franchisees develop locations independently, and a cluster of existing drive-thru sites represents ready-made infrastructure in markets where the brand has strategic interest. Bankruptcy-related transfers of drive-thru real estate have become more frequent across the US restaurant sector as a combination of rising costs and post-pandemic consumer shifts have pushed several chains into restructuring.
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