Loading Up on Health: How One Family's Vision Created Jackson's Favorite Salad Spot

Discover how the Deans family transformed healthcare concerns into Loaded Lettuce, Jackson's beloved healthy dining destination offering 30 fresh toppings and quick, affordable meals.

In the American comedy-drama "Forrest Gump," there is a classic moment when Benjamin "Bubba" Buford (Mykelti Williamson) passionately tells Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) about the various ways to prepare shrimp before Gump ultimately opens the Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant.

"You can bar-be-que it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it," said Buford as he began his lengthy list, which spanned several scenes. "Shrimp kabob, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo," he continued.

It's very reminiscent of the Deans' family's process for naming their restaurant Loaded Lettuce. They wanted a name that told customers they were premier salad restaurateurs, which first led them to the name Simple Salad. They quickly learned the name was trademarked in California and dove back into the name-creating process.

"We started throwing names around," said Christopher Deans II, part owner of Loaded Lettuce. "All of them from Salad Hut to Salad Salad, to Ensalada, to Sexy Salad, but when we heard Loaded Lettuce, it was like' 'Wait a minute. What did you say?' And we kept saying it, and it stuck, and we decided on it as a family."

Customers can "load" as much healthy goodness as they want in an entree, but the original name still lives on the menu for meatless options. There's a Simple Salad, Simple Wrap, Simple Potato, and a Simple Platter. Loaded Lettuce opened with 13 toppings in 2022 but is at 30 today. Customers can add any of those 30 toppings to a "Simple" entry or add protein options of chicken, turkey, ham, and bacon.

"Contrary to what people believe, we love a good salad," Deans said.

Deans admits that Loaded Lettuce is his father, Christopher Deans Sr.'s "dream child." Christopher Deans Sr. has been practicing physical therapy in the Jackson area for more than 30 years. He often sees patients after they've made years of bad dieting choices. The repetitive patient illnesses made him want to help them take more preventative measures.

"He saw people after the heart attacks and the strokes," Christopher Deans II said of his father. "He wanted to do something about it."

Credit: Erica Johnson Photography

Christopher Deans Sr. decided to provide access to healthy food options, especially in West Jackson, where he grew up. The first Loaded Lettuce location opened in Westland Plaza, which Christopher Deans II's brother, Richard Deans, runs. Christopher Deans II runs the second location in Fondren. Alex Taylor has been a patron since Loaded Lettuce opened, helping to fulfill the family's purpose of providing a quick, healthy, affordable meal.

"I'm probably here five times a week getting a parfait and turkey wrap," said Taylor, a teacher at Callaway High School.

Crystal McDowell

Author

Crystal McDowell

Crystal McDowell is the CEO of Marketing Maven Management, a marketing and communications firm created to ensure accurate and positive storytelling that includes people of color. She has a Mass Communication degree from Jackson State University and an MBA from Belhaven University. She has 18+ years of journalism, PR, and marketing skills, which she obtained working across the country. Her hobbies are traveling and storytelling.

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