by Jenna Bensko

WOWorks is a prominent restaurant featuring well-known brands such as Saladworks, Zoup Eatery, Barberitos, and Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh. With over 100 locations each, Saladworks and Zoup offer fresh salads, sandwiches, soups, and more across North America. Barberitos, with over 50 locations primarily in the Southeast, specializes in Southwestern-inspired fare like burritos and tacos. Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, boasting over 30 locations nationwide, serves authentic Mediterranean cuisine. Together, these brands contribute significantly to WOWorks' impressive annual sales, showcasing their substantial presence in the competitive restaurant industry.

Joining Forces: WOWorks Joins the US Working Group for Broiler Welfare

In a groundbreaking move towards advancing animal welfare, WOWorks has joined the US Working Group for Broiler Welfare – a collaborative effort facilitated by Compassion in World Farming and The New Green Normal. Established in 2021, this initiative brings together industry leaders to collectively address key areas of suffering experienced by the nearly 9 billion chickens raised for meat in the United States. With WOWorks recently joining, the Working Group now comprises 19 companies working toward implementing the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC), a set of standards that is aiming to raise the baseline for how chickens are raised on farms. The Working Group convenes regularly to strategize practical solutions, fostering a pre-competitive environment that drives meaningful progress aligned with the BCC.

As WOWorks continues to make significant advancements in animal welfare, it is paving the way for a more ethical and sustainable future in the restaurant sector.

Setting the Bar: WOWorks' Comprehensive BCC Roadmap with Progress Reporting

WOWorks’ commitment to chicken welfare extends beyond participating in the Working Group. It has developed a comprehensive BCC Roadmap outlining incremental annual targets for each tenet of this comprehensive policy. By 2025, WOWorks pledges to ensure that 100% of its supply chain adheres to the BCC's litter requirements, with similar goals set for the rest of the BCC in the coming years. These following roadmaps exemplify WOWorks' proactive approach in implementing tangible measures to enhance broiler chicken welfare within its supply chain.

• Saladworks Roadmap
• Zoup Roadmap
• Barberitos Roadmap
• Garbanzo Roadmap

In a significant milestone, WOWorks has also begun publicly reporting its progress on broiler chicken welfare, marking its first-ever public disclosure. Currently, WOWorks has made substantial strides in litter management, with 49% of its supply chain already meeting BCC's litter requirements. This transparency not only underscores WOWorks' dedication to accountability but also serves as an inspiration for others in the industry to follow suit. Compassion in World Farming is working directly with the WOWorks team to ensure progress is made across the entire BCC in the coming years.

Jenna is a Food Business Manager with the Compassion in World Farming U.S. team. She has an M.S. in Food Science and Human Nutrition from Colorado State University and a BSc in Nutritional Sciences from Cornell University. During her graduate program, Jenna studied the social and environmental impacts of restaurant menus and the sustainability of restaurant Corporate Social Responsibility reports. She is particularly interested in improving the sustainability and equitability of food systems through system level changes.