Let’s be honest: most F&B brands in India have no business putting salads on their menu. They don’t get it. They don’t want to get it. And the result? A sad little plate that makes you wonder why you wasted ₹700–800 on rabbit food.
Here’s the deal. In New York or London, when you pay $8–9 (₹800–900), you get a salad that’s big, wholesome and more than a complete meal!
- A mountain of mixed greens — rocket, arugula, baby spinach, not the sad excuse of iceberg.
- Veggie toppings galore — cucumbers, bell peppers, broccoli, carrots.
- Protein that actually fills you up — chicken, tofu, falafel.
- And if you want feta, olives, sun-dried tomatoes? They don’t give you “sprinkles.” They load it up! – generously.
It’s hearty, colorful, satisfying. You feel like you got your money’s worth.
Now, in India? Let me paint the picture.
You order a ₹750 “Mediterranean Salad” at some fancy café. What lands on your table?
- Three limp pieces of iceberg lettuce.
- Four razor-thin bell pepper slices.
- Two-and-a-half olives.
- And maybe one crumble of feta, if the kitchen staff didn’t eat it first.
And that’s it. You’re left staring at your bowl thinking: This is it? This is the ₹750 salad?
Underwhelming, stingy, and boring — hardly a full meal, barely even a side.
Why Salads Bomb in India
- Portion Kanjoosi – They act like every topping is gold-plated. One olive. Two tomato slices. Three leaves of lettuce. Congratulations, that’s your “meal.”
- Iceberg Obsession – Why is every salad in India just iceberg lettuce? Nobody even likes it! It’s watery, limp, and soulless.No arugula, no rocket, no baby spinach. Fresh leaves are seen as “costly imports,” not staples.
- Afterthought Syndrome – For most restaurants, salads are just a box to tick. “Oh we’re continental, let’s add a Caesar.” But it’s not a Caesar. It’s sadness in a bowl. Salads aren’t taken seriously. They’re positioned as a side dish or a checkbox for “healthy eaters,” not a main event.
When you charge international prices but serve substandard salads, customers feel cheated. That’s why most salad menus in India flop.
Crostini: The Rebellion
When I started Crostini, everyone told me: “Don’t do salads. Nobody in India eats salads as a main meal.”
And if I’d done them the way most cafés do — stingy, boring, joyless — they’d have been right.
But we did the opposite:
- Bowls that looked like art.
- Generous portions that actually made you full.
- Flavors that smacked you in the face (in a good way).
- Bright, colorful, bold.
And guess what? Salads ended up driving 50% of our food sales. More than sandwiches. More than pasta. Because we treated them as the star, not the sidekick.
The Harsh Truth
If you’re an F&B brand in India and you don’t want to commit to doing salads properly, don’t do them at all.
Because three sad leaves of iceberg and a couple of olives don’t make a salad. They make a scam.
And nothing kills your brand faster than customers walking out saying: “Wow, even their salads were pathetic.”