Freshii exits Target, ending 2-year experiment that didn't work out

Freshii Inc., a salads and wraps restaurant chain, is closing the 18 locations that it opened in Target Corp. stores over the last two years.

The move ends one of the experiments Minneapolis-based Target started in 2015 as an alternative to the Starbucks, popcorn, hot dogs and Pizza Hut pizza it offers in most of its 1,800 U.S. stores. The closings began earlier this month and will finish next month.

One Twin Cities Target store — the Quarry store on New Brighton Boulevard in Minneapolis — has a Freshii. There were nine in the Chicago area and several in California. In a statement, Target said it is evaluating what to do with the spaces that Freshii is leaving and that there likely won't be one restaurant concept that fits them all.

Toronto-based Freshii said on Monday that the "sales levels of these locations did not support a continued investment of resources by both parties."

Target's statement said the project "did not meet our shared business goals."

Freshii also told investors that it would open substantially fewer new locations in its fiscal 2017 year, about 90 to 95 compared to a previously announced plan of 150 to 160. It cited scheduling and other development delays for the reduction.

The company sells salads, soups, rice or noodle bowls and wraps that are prepared to order at 345 locations around North America, at the Mall of America and at downtown locations in both Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Freshii said it took several lessons away from its work with Target and that when it enters such ventures in the future, it will try to do a better job shaping the menu and with staffing.

In testing new ideas for its cafes, Target has also worked with Minneapolis-based D'Amico & Sons, which placed small restaurants into stores in Edina and Maple Grove.