Part of the Farm Boy farm-fresh experience is our hot and salad bars. Located at almost all of our 48 locations, they’re full of wholesome items prepared with care by our Chef team. At the Hot Bar, you’ll find classic dishes like macaroni & cheese, chicken tenders, and meatballs, as well as international delights like butter chicken and teriyaki chow mein. At the Salad Bar, you can load up on freshly prepared salads or make your own from a variety of crisp, colourful ingredients. For an easy, homestyle lunch, or for items that make up a quick dinner later, our hot and salad bars are the answer. But, with so many options, where do you begin?
Below is our handy guide that’ll help you hack our hot and salad bars for maximum tasty results. Whether you’re grabbing lunch on the go or sticking around to enjoy a meal in our café with free wi-fi, our list of hacks is guaranteed to help.
Hack #1: Load up on greens.
Building a salad? Go for the greens! Leafy veggies are chock full of nutrition, and loading your salad base with a heavy dose of greens doesn’t add much in terms of weight, giving you more bang for your buck. We recommend spinach, spring mix, or our Harvest Kale.
Hack #2: Level up your leftovers.
We know how it is: it’s lunchtime, and you’re starving, so you grab our largest size container to load up. Sometimes, your eyes can be bigger than your stomach. Rather than let any of that delicious, fresh food go to waste, bring it home! Leftovers can help bulk up a low-maintenance dinner or be repurposed for a yummy meal the next day.
Hack #3: Buy the protein you need.
Every meal needs a star. For those days when you have the odds and ends in the back of your fridge and need something to tie it all together, visit our hot and salad bars! Picking up a grilled chicken breast is an easy way to add protein while still using what you already have.
Hack #4: Try something new.
You don’t know a new favourite until you’ve tried it! Unsure about testing a new dish? Opt for just a tiny spoonful rather than a massive scoop. If you’re not a fan, it’s not a big deal. Or, maybe you’ll try our Chicken Dumplings or Vegan Butter Chickpeas and decide you simply can’t live without them! Now, you have a new reason to visit us again!
Hack #5: Shop smarter, not harder.
Our Hot Bar is loaded with items that may not always be in your culinary wheelhouse. Stop by to pick up an item that’ll complete the rest of your meal. For example, making pasta is as easy as boiling water, but meatballs may be too advanced for you. Instead, grab a few ready-made from our Hot Bar to upgrade your dinner.
Hack #6: The value of convenience.
Not many of us have the time, money, or desire to grab a whole bunch of veggies, chop them up, and parcel them out throughout the week, which can lead to unused produce rotting in the back of our fridge. If a certain dish on our Hot Bar or Salad Bar would be too much work for you to prepare yourself, consider the value of picking it up from us, already made and ready to enjoy.
