Dec. 7, 2022
Alfalfa, a fast casual food joint known for serving locally sourced salads and gluten-free doughnuts, has raised $2 million to expand its brick-mortar footprint across Southern California and the New York Tri-State area. Locations in Jersey City and Los Angeles will break ground next year. The funding will also go toward enhancing Alfalfa's in-house, AI-enabled food preparation tools to improve kitchen efficiency, according to Chief Brand Officer Andrew Arrospide.
"Alfalfa was created to inspire a healthier way of life through real food and joyful experiences," Arrospide said in a company press release. "With a passion for encouraging a balanced lifestyle, this new round of funding has further strengthened our ability to make high quality, balanced food options both accessible and approachable for those we serve in our bi-coastal communities." prioritize delighting customers at scale.
Alfalfa raised its seed round of funding from 37 investors, led by Blue Falcon Capital with additional participation from Jake Kassan, the founder of MVMT Watches, USMNT Goalkeeper Sean Johnson as well as Bain & Co., Algorand Crypto, Jefferies, Hightower and Piper Sandler.
"The salad category has tremendous growth ahead. As founders, we want to elevate the salad conversation beyond physical health to include mental health," Co-CEO Dan Londono said in the release. "We believe in the health benefits that come from high-quality and nourishing ingredients, but also appreciate the spark of joy that the occasional indulgence brings."
Founded as a small farmers market tent in 2019, Alfalfa has one location in Hoboken, New Jersey, and one Santa Monica, California, with several others on the way.