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Chef-Driven Salads Provo Utah: Tossd Brings Restaurant-Quality Bowls to Drive-Thru Dining
Chef-Driven Salads Provo Utah: Tossd Brings Restaurant-Quality Bowls to Drive-Thru Dining
There's a moment when you pull up to the Tossd drive-thru at the Riverwoods in Provo—probably around lunchtime when the BYU crowd is out in force—and you realize something's different here. The menu board isn't listing generic fast-food fare. Instead, you're reading about harissa-marinated chicken with charred corn relish and chimichurri sauce, beet and ricotta salads, and fresh-baked rosemary focaccia. One customer summed it up perfectly: "Toss'd has cracked the code on amazing service with food that tastes so fresh it feels like a farmers market haul."
This is chef-driven salads in Provo, Utah, reimagined for people who want restaurant-quality food without leaving their cars.
How Heirloom Restaurant Group Created Utah County's Most Innovative Fast-Casual Concept
Kevin Santiago didn't wake up one day and casually decide to revolutionize healthy fast food in Utah County. Well, actually—he kind of did. The CEO of Heirloom Restaurant Group literally woke up in the middle of the night and said out loud, "I'm gonna buy Heirloom Restaurant Group." And he did exactly that, bringing together an acclaimed collection of Utah Valley restaurants including Communal, Pizzeria 712, CHOM Burger, Black Sheep Cafe, and Station 22.
But Tossd? That came from listening. Santiago kept hearing the same feedback from diners at Heirloom's sit-down restaurants: they loved the salads but didn't always want the full restaurant experience. Meanwhile, his collaborator Richie Stapler—co-founder of fragrance tech company Pura—was navigating the hassle of getting kids in and out of car seats just to grab a quick meal. The solution became obvious: bring Heirloom's restaurant-quality ingredients and chef-curated flavors to a drive-thru format.
Santiago's vision was bold and specific: "Our long-term vision is to have spots that would be like Dutch Brothers or Swig or Sodalicious, but for salads." Not another Café Zupas clone. Not a generic salad chain. A genuinely chef-driven concept that happens to have drive-thru convenience.
To make it work, Santiago brought in chef Colton Soelberg—the culinary force behind Communal and Pizzeria 712. Soelberg's credentials run deep: he worked his way from busboy to renowned chef, training at Sundance's Tree Room, New York City's La Côte Basque, and San Francisco's Le Petit Robert. When he and Joseph McRae opened Pizzeria 712 in Orem back in 2007, they didn't just launch another pizza joint—they started what became known as Utah County's culinary revolution, proving that Happy Valley wanted more than franchise chains.
Tossd launched in May 2024 as a food truck in Vineyard, and the response was immediate. One teacher from Freedom Prep Academy told reporters it was "all the buzz" among parents at the school. Within months, Tossd expanded to brick-and-mortar locations in Provo's Riverwoods, Pleasant Grove, and a permanent Vineyard spot—all while maintaining that crucial drive-thru element.
The Harissa Chicken Bowl Experience: Restaurant Quality Meets Fast-Casual Convenience
Walk into any Tossd location—or better yet, use the drive-thru because that's the whole point—and you're immediately confronted with choices that don't exist at typical fast-casual spots. The menu reads like something from one of Heirloom's acclaimed restaurants, which makes sense since it basically is.
The signature harissa chicken bowl anchors the menu, and customers have strong opinions about it. "I really like the harissa chicken bowl," one regular notes in their review. The dish features harissa-marinated chicken layered over brown rice with charred corn relish, avocado, pickled red onion, tomatoes, zesty feta cheese, and chimichurri sauce. It's the kind of flavor combination you'd expect from a $25 sit-down restaurant plate, not a drive-thru bowl.
The Beet & Ricotta Salad has developed its own following. "I love the Beet & Ricotta Salad, it's so yummy and fresh," one customer raves. It's usually a substantial portion—as it should be for the price—featuring roasted beets with creamy ricotta, showcasing Tossd's commitment to vegetable-forward dishes that actually taste good.
The Summer Seasonal Salad earned perhaps the highest praise: "The Summer Seasonal Salad was UNREAL! Not sure what kind of seasoning they put on the corn but truly it was the best salad I've ever had." That corn? It's charred and seasoned with the same attention to technique that Soelberg brought to his fine-dining kitchens.
Then there's the Asian Chicken Bowl, the Cobb Salad, and rotating Tastemaker series bowls that keep the menu dynamic. But here's where Tossd distinguishes itself from every other salad spot in Utah County: the fresh-baked rosemary focaccia. One DoorDash reviewer called out "One of the best Cobb salads and Rosemary & Sea Salt Focaccia." Fresh-baked bread at a drive-thru salad shop? That's the Heirloom Restaurant Group difference right there.
For breakfast—because yes, Tossd does breakfast service until 10:30 AM—you'll find the Sweet Potato Hash featuring roasted sweet potatoes, red potatoes, peppers, onions, soft scrambled eggs, and cheese. The Açaí Bowl brings together bananas, strawberries, blueberries, chia pudding, granola, and peanut butter. These aren't afterthoughts; they're chef-curated breakfast bowls designed with the same care as the lunch offerings.
Each bowl comes with two dressings—a smart touch that customers appreciate. "I love how there are 2 dressings in each one so you can try both!" one reviewer notes. It's that kind of attention to the eating experience that separates restaurant-quality food from fast-casual assembly lines.
Tossd Tastemakers: How BYU Athletes and Local Influencers Shape the Menu
Here's where Tossd gets genuinely innovative in the fast-casual space: the Tossd Tastemaker series. Instead of static menus that stay the same for years, Santiago and Soelberg collaborate with local influencers, athletes, and innovators to create limited-time bowls that bring fresh perspectives to the menu.
The current Tastemaker is Madie Mathews, and her story embodies exactly what Tossd is about. Mathews was a dual-sport athlete at BYU, playing four years on the women's soccer team before joining track and field for her final semester. She married former BYU and NFL wide receiver Mitch Mathews—yes, the guy who caught Tanner Mangum's legendary Hail Mary against Nebraska in 2015. Together, they co-founded FlowHaus, a multi-sensory wellness center in Pleasant Grove focused on sauna and cold plunge therapy.
Madie's philosophy aligns perfectly with Tossd's mission: movement, balance, wellness, and authentic living. She shares real moments of family, fitness, and fun with thousands of followers online, and now her culinary vision lives in a Tossd bowl. The Tastemaker concept isn't just marketing—it's a genuine collaboration that keeps the menu evolving and creates buzz around limited-time offerings.
This approach solves a problem most fast-casual chains face: menu fatigue. By rotating Tastemaker collaborations, Tossd creates built-in content marketing and gives customers reasons to return. It's the kind of strategic innovation you'd expect from a group that includes Cupbop, Sodalicious, and Sweet Tooth Fairy in Santiago's entrepreneurial portfolio.
Utah County's Fast-Casual Revolution: Why Location Matters
Tossd's four locations aren't random. They're strategically placed in the heart of Utah County's growth corridor, serving distinct communities with overlapping values around health, wellness, and quality food.
The Riverwoods location in Provo (4801 N University Ave, Suite 675) sits minutes from BYU campus, serving the student and faculty crowd that wants quick, healthy options between classes. The shopping center's mix of restaurants and retailers makes it a natural lunch destination, and Tossd's drive-thru convenience fits perfectly with the on-the-go BYU lifestyle.
Pleasant Grove (612 S Pleasant Grove Blvd, Suite 100) serves the northern Utah County families and professionals looking for alternatives to the typical fast-food corridor. This location has earned particular praise for consistency and portion sizes.
Vineyard (661 E 450 N, Unit 103) is where it all started—the original food truck location that proved the concept worked. Now it's a permanent fixture in one of Utah County's fastest-growing cities, serving the tech workers and young families populating the area around Geneva Road.
The newest location on West Center Street in downtown Provo (75 West Center Street) expands Tossd's footprint into the revitalized downtown core, serving the lunch crowd from city offices and businesses.
All locations maintain the same hours: Monday through Saturday, 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, closed Sundays (this is Utah County, after all). That Sunday closure isn't just cultural accommodation—it's strategic positioning. As one marketing insight noted, it creates a "fresh start every Monday" and makes Tossd "worth the wait."
Planning Your Visit: What You Need to Know About Tossd
If you're heading to Tossd for the first time, here's the insider knowledge that'll make your experience better:
Order the harissa chicken bowl. It's the signature for a reason, showcasing Soelberg's culinary technique in charred corn relish and chimichurri sauce that you won't find at Café Zupas or Sweetgreen.
Don't skip the focaccia. Fresh-baked rosemary and sea salt focaccia at a drive-thru is uncommon enough that you should experience it. Pair it with any bowl for a more substantial meal.
Download the app for 50% off your first bowl. The rewards program makes regular visits more affordable, and you'll get updates on Tastemaker series launches.
Consider catering for office events. Tossd can handle corporate events for up to 300 people with the same restaurant-quality ingredients and presentation you'd get ordering individually. It's legitimately impressive for client lunches or team meetings.
Visit during off-peak hours if you want to avoid lines. Lunch rush at the Riverwoods location can get busy with the BYU crowd, but service is consistently fast even during peak times.
The price point sits around $15-17 per bowl, which is higher than Chipotle but in line with Café Zupas and well below what you'd pay for comparable food at a sit-down restaurant. You're paying for chef-curated recipes, high-quality ingredients, and restaurant-grade preparation—not assembly-line salads from corporate recipes.
Kevin Santiago's late-night epiphany about buying Heirloom Restaurant Group has created something genuinely new in Utah County's food landscape. Tossd isn't trying to be the next national chain or a Utah-only Sweetgreen copycat. It's taking the culinary credibility that Colton Soelberg built over two decades—from Sundance to San Francisco and back to Provo—and making it accessible to people who need to eat lunch in their cars between meetings.
That harissa chicken bowl you're ordering at a drive-thru? It comes from the same chef who helped revolutionize Utah County dining with Communal and Pizzeria 712. The rosemary focaccia cooling on the counter was baked fresh that morning using techniques from fine-dining kitchens. The Beet & Ricotta Salad reflects the farm-to-table philosophy that made Communal an institution.
This is chef-driven salads in Provo, Utah, executed at a level that respects both the craft of cooking and the reality of modern life. Sometimes you don't have an hour for a sit-down meal at Communal. Sometimes you need restaurant-quality food that fits through a car window. Tossd proves you can have both standards and convenience—you just need chefs who know the difference and an entrepreneur crazy enough to make it happen.
Find Tossd: @eattossd on Instagram | eattossd.com | Four locations across Utah County
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