Build-A-Salad announces closure, cites cyclospora fears

Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter/ A sign for Build-A-Salad is seen on North Market Street on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. The restaurant has announced plans to permanently close its doors due to a drop in sales following the national cyclospora outbreak. Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter/ A sign for Build-A-Salad is seen on North Market Street on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. The restaurant has announced plans to permanently close its doors due to a drop in sales following the national cyclospora outbreak.

By Times Free Press Staff August 5, 2026 2 min read

Build-A-Salad, the custom salad restaurant that opened in March 2026 in the old Long Horn diner building on Chattanooga’s North Shore, announced Tuesday it was closing.

The restaurant attributed the sudden decision to the diarrhea-causing cyclospora outbreak linked to lettuce.

“It’s tough being a salad restaurant when everyone is scared of lettuce,” a post from the restaurant on Facebook said, “so the decision was made for us.”

On July 15, the restaurant began making posts emphasizing that the lettuce on its salad bar was always cut fresh, not bagged. On July 29, a Facebook post clarified that the lettuce used at the restaurant was sourced from the supplier Sysco, and that lettuce from Sysco had not been affected.