Fresh Choice is a chain of buffet

Buffet

A buffet is a system of serving meals in which food is placed in a public area where the diners generally serve themselves. Buffets are offered at various places including hotels and many social events...

-style restaurants which operate in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, Washington, and Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

 under the names Fresh Choice, Fresh Plus, Fresh Choice Express, and Zoopa. The first restaurant was opened in Sunnyvale, California

Sunnyvale, California

Sunnyvale is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is one of the major cities that make up the Silicon Valley located in the San Francisco Bay Area...

 in 1986, and as of 2010 there are 30 locations with two new restaurants expected to open in 2011–12. Fresh Choice was purchased by Sandy Boyd in 2007.

Fresh Choice markets itself as a healthier alternative to fast food

Fast food

Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...

 restaurants with reference to menu options that include choices relatively low in fat, carbohydrates, and/or calories. The soups are marketed as "home style." All restaurants also have salad bars, artisan pizza, and breads.

Fresh Choice obtains its produce from local farmers, and tries to use seasonal, local and organically grown produce. Starting in 2009, the company has embarked on a plan to grow many of its own vegetables. The Sacramento Magazine Diners' Choice Awards voted Fresh Choice as the restaurant with the most health-conscious menu in 2008 and 2009.

Restaurants use energy-efficient lighting, heating, cooling and cooking equipment, to minimize impact on the environment. Fresh Choice is enrolled in PG&E's Climate Smart Program, through which Fresh Choice makes voluntary, charitable contributions that fund greenhouse gas capture and reduction projects to make its Northern California restaurants' energy usage carbon neutral. Additionally, Fresh Choice sponsors and participates in events such as 2009 Earth Day in Sacramento, California International Marathon and health fairs.

Fresh Choice's major competitor is Sweet Tomatoes (known as Souplantation in Southern California).