July 13, 2021

Minnesota-based fast-casual restaurant Crisp & Green, which specializes in customized, healthy meals, is opening in Sioux Falls this week.

And if you get in line at the right time, you even can try it for free.

CEO and founder Steele Smiley opened the first Crisp & Green in late 2016. Having spent his entire career in fitness, Smiley wanted an opportunity to try something new in the wellness industry.

“One topic that I knew a whole lot about was how to keep healthy,” Smiley said. “And I was finding that it was increasingly difficult to get high-quality, healthy food fast. I figured the best way to do that was to just create it.”

The community’s response in the Twin Cities to Crisp & Green’s initial opening was impressive, he said.

“In November of 2016, I opened my first store, and it opened with a line around the block,” he said. “Here we are today with 85 stores built on development in nine states and counting.”

Having spent a portion of his childhood in Sioux Falls, Smiley said he was waiting for his opportunity to give back to the community.

“I wanted to give back to the city of Sioux Falls by making sure that I brought my concepts here,” he said.

Paul Goldammer, Crisp & Green’s franchise partner in Sioux Falls, agreed the city needed a restaurant like the one he’s opening on the east side of the Western Mall.

“I thought it’d be wonderful to bring to Sioux Falls,” Goldammer said. “Sioux Falls has a need for fast, chef-inspired food that is healthy for you and that has a fitness concept that goes along with it. I think it is something that Sioux Falls has been craving, and I know I certainly have after going there to eat.”

Goldammer came across Crisp & Green after living in the Minneapolis area for 10 years and because he has family in the area, he said.

“During my time up there, I visited Crisp & Green with family and friends and thought it was a fresh, new, exciting, young concept,” he said. “We really don’t have anything like this in Sioux Falls, so I thought it’d be wonderful to bring it to Sioux Falls.”

In addition to offering whole, fresh food, Crisp & Green is also going to offer fitness classes that go along with its concept.

“Whether it is inside the four walls of our store or at other places like parks, we want to incorporate fitness and bring it to the community,” Goldammer said. “We want to have that community involvement with the brand and also with the product offering.”

The Crisp & Green menu offers a variety of customizable meals that can cater to everyone’s fitness goals and dietary concerns, whether it’s keto, plant-based or vegetarian.

“I would say it’s everything that you want, made the way you want it,” Smiley said. “To either deliver it in a salad format or in a grain bowl, you have the opportunity to customize it to your liking and the ability to create your dream menu every day. We also have a lot of other high-quality smoothies and blended drinks that you can grab on the go. It is just an overall amazing place to grab a pre-workout snack, post-workout meal or something healthy for the family at night.”

For the building’s design, Smiley wanted an open atmosphere that was airy and fresh, somewhat reflective of properties in major metropolitan cities or on the coasts but also welcoming to the community, he said. 

“Every concept I’ve built kind of has a signature trait — a garage door — and it brings the community in,” Smiley said. “So much of what we do is about connecting with the community. And what better way to do that than just to open up the whole front of the store. It really is a different vibe than what we are used to in the Midwest. It’s more of something you typically would see on the coasts, so we think people are gonna like it.”

The plan is to add locations in South Dakota.

“We are going to continue to grow,” Goldammer said, “Get loyal customers, make them happy, and feed them healthy, nutritional food that not only is not traditional but that tastes really good. And that, to me, is the most important, right? It is not just health. It is food that is craveable and tastes awesome.”

Hours will be 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Opening week festivities

Thursday

Arc of Dreams to be lit green in recognition of Crisp & Green’s opening.

7:30 p.m.: OrangeTheory Fitness workout class by the Arc, plus free salad samples for all participants.

Friday

11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m.: 50 percent off orders through the app.

Saturday

C&G x Ignite Morning Fitness class and Lululemon giveaway.

10:30a.m. to 3 p.m.: Free signature salad or grain bowl for anyone in line by 3 p.m.

Sunday

First 100 people in line receive a free Crisp & Green tumbler.

Fundraiser day for Make-A-Wish South Dakota.