[SWEET!] Beloved Salad Bar Chain Sweet Tomatoes Is Reopening Another Location

Don't call it a comeback....yet.  A second former Sweet Tomatoes location is slated to reopen next spring but the company has made no firm commitment regarding additional expansion.  

The new salad bar restaurant, located at 14080 Tamiami Trail in Fort Myers, Florida, was one of the nearly 100 units nationwide the salad bar chain closed permanently in May 2020 after being crushed by the restrictions and impacts of the pandemic.  

An exact opening date in Fort Myers has not yet been made public, but the restaurant is currently hiring for assorted roles including Kitchen Manager and General Manager.  

News of the Sweet Tomatoes' return to Fort Myers was met with tremendous enthusiasm on social media with one commenter sharing: 

"Drove 2000 miles from Fort Myers to Tucson for Sweet Tomatoes back in July. I don’t know what Fort Myers did to deserve the next Sweet Tomatoes but I am so happy!"

The restaurant's return is being led by "ST Three, LLC," an entity reportedly unaffiliated with former owner Garden Fresh Restaurant Corporation, but one that is led by former Garden Fresh executive Mike Malone. 

The Sweet Tomatoes Instagram and Facebook pages both shared cryptic messages in recent days leading up to the revelation Sunday that the "new" location will be a return to their old building in Fort Myers.   

The first Sweet Tomatoes to reopen under the new ownership was in Tucson, Arizona.  In the Copper State, Sweet Tomatoes reopened in its old location at 6202 E. Broadway Boulevard.  ToNeTo Atlanta reported on the planned opening in March 2024 ahead of the restaurant's debut April 1, 2024.  

ST Three purchased the exclusive rights and all intellectual property associated with the Sweet Tomatoes and Souplantation brands, according to CBRE, which represented the landlord in Tucson.  

The chain previously operated four locations in metro Atlanta:

In Kennesaw (1125 Ernest Barrett Parkway), the former Sweet Tomatoes was demolished and reopened in 2022 as a new strip center called "Barrett Corners," home to locations of Maple Street Biscuit Company, Five Guys Burgers & Fries, Hungry AF and Pacific Dental, among other tenants.    

In Duluth (3505 Mall Boulevard), the former Sweet Tomatoes was located on "Ring Road," around the perimeter of the troubled Gwinnett Place Mall.  There was work in 2023 to turn the building into an unspecified brunch spot, but the business never opened.  Now, according to online research, a new eatery called "Merge Caribbean Cuisine" is opening in the former salad spot.    

In Sandy Springs (6340 Peachtree Dunwoody Road), the former Sweet Tomatoes was renovated and reopened in November 2022 as Top Korean BBQ and Hot Pot.  

In Alpharetta (950 North Point Drive), the former Sweet Tomatoes sits atop a hill in a less than prime location, but reopened as Chow One Korean Steakhouse last May before closing "temporarily" a short time later.  

Even if limited for now, are you excited to hear about the return of Sweet Tomatoes? What was your favorite offering from Sweet Tomatoes?  If Sweet Tomatoes does return and is prepared to open a new restaurant rather than reopening a former location, where do you think they should open?

Please share your thoughts below.