Not Sweet Tomatoes — The Classic '90s Sandwich And Salad Chain Floridians Will Remember

Today, chains such as Panera and even Newks dominate the soup and sandwich restaurant market, but in the affectionately remembered '90s, the world felt vaster. Many fondly recall restaurants such as Sweet Tomatoes and Souplantation, with their mile-long salad, soup, and sandwich bars, but once upon a time, the restaurant name on every Floridian's lips was Crispers. This chain boasted 35 locations across the state at the height of its popularity, but now the brand and its vast assortment of sandwiches and salads are nothing more than a memory.

Crispers was founded in Lakeland, Florida, in 1989 by Bill and Vanessa Whittaker, and was one of those classic restaurant chains you'd only find in the South. A quick-service style restaurant, Crispers was well-known for soups, salads, sandwiches, flatbreads, and desserts. It was the kind of place you'd swing by for lunch or dinner when you didn't quite know what you wanted, exactly because it had a little bit of everything. By 2002, the chain was so popular that even Publix invested in it, with the money to be used for expanding the chain even further, but by 2022 the chain was gone for good.

Although similar to Sweet Tomatoes in terms of its main food offerings, Crispers employees brought the food to each customer's table, while Sweet Tomatoes was more cafeteria-style. Some fan favorites from the old sandwich menu include the Asiago Beef sandwich, the Turkey Cranwich, and the Reuben, while some old soup favorites were the loaded potato soup, the Navy bean soup, and the time-honored tomato soup. It's safe to say that this was the place to go to find some of the absolute best soup and sandwich combinations. "Craving a summer salad with honey lime dressing and a scoop of gelato," reminisced one Redditor, while another user said they've "been chasing that chicken Caesar wrap for years; nothing compares."

Shortly after Publix invested a hefty chunk of money into Crispers, the big-name grocer ultimately decided to outright purchase the chain. Publix held onto it as a subsidiary for about four years before selling it to Healthy Food Concepts LLC, which was backed by Boyne Capital. Boyne held onto the chain for over a decade, but things took a turn in the late 2010s, and Crispers was down to 28 restaurants in Florida by 2018. In 2022, with only four locations still in operation around the state, Crispers announced that it was shutting down for good. Despite closing nearly four years ago, fans still leave signs of mourning on the chain's former Instagram, such as a comment left this year on an old post that simply says, "Thinking of you, we miss you."