I ordered salads from Wendy's, Culver's, Chick-fil-A, and Zaxby's. My old go-to chain didn't make it close to the top of the list.

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cobb salads from chick-fil-a and zaxby's
I wouldn't typically go to Chick-fil-A or Zaxby's for salads, but I did for this taste test.

Meredith Schneider

I ordered build-your-own bowls from Cava and Sweetgreen. Both tasted delicious, but the winner didn't charge for as many add-ons.

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The order counter at the Sweetgreen on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, showing salad and vegetables
Cold toppings included spicy broccoli, pickled pink onion, and red cabbage.

Grace Dean/Business Insider

I made 3 of Ina Garten's salad recipes —the best felt the fanciest but was the easiest to make

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Bird's-eye-view of three salads on a wooden cutting board. The salads contain ingredients including arugula, carrots, orange wedges, purple cabbage, and apples.
I made three of Ina Garten's salads to find the best summertime side dish.

Moriah House

Here's what it's like to eat at Cava, the salad chain plotting rapid expansion across the US

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The interior of the Cava restaurant in Chicago, showing the counter which is full of ingredients as well as a line of customers waiting to order
Cava sells customizable salad and grain bowls.

Grace Dean/Business Insider

I tried the perfect space meal for astronauts, and it was surprisingly flavorful and easy to make

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A salad containing sweet potatoes, kale, and barley on a rainbow-striped plate.

Emily Swaim

A microbiologist explains where and what she won't eat to avoid food poisoning

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A person putting food down on a buffet table
Buffets can be contaminated by other peoples germs or have food that has sat out for too long.

GoodLifeStudio/Getty Images

Sweetgreen sued by workers alleging racial discrimination — including regular use of the N-word — and sexual harassment

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pedestrians walk outside a Manhattan Sweetgreen
In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs say their complaints went unheard by upper management at Sweetgreen.

The Washington Post via Getty Images

Chick-fil-A fans are so extreme that the chain can't even take a side salad off its menu without fans freaking out

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Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A is reversing its decision to eliminate its side salad.

Chick-fil-A

Soaring energy prices and bad weather have led to a salad crisis in the UK as supermarkets ration tomatoes and cucumbers

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salad

Photo by Alex Tihonov/Getty Images

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