New healthy habits are coming to Hilton Head Island by means of chopped salads

Healthy Habit, a new eatery dedicated to chopped salads, smoothies and juices, has only been open on the north end of Hilton Head Island for a little more than a week, but co-owner Hope Yeung said customers are already starting to make their stop into the restaurant a habit.

“We have a couple of people that have come in every day for large Detoxes,” she said of one of the vegetable blends available at the juice bar. “The HH Colada (smoothie) seems to be a top hit.”

The restaurant at 55 Mathews Drive serves up salads starting at $7, with an option to make your own or select from their six signature dishes, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Yeung said their shop is currently having a soft opening, but plans to celebrate its grand opening Feb. 1.

“We really believe in a soft opening to make sure that our co-workers are trained up and ready for constant service,” she said.

Yeung said she and her husband, Kevin, had to delay the opening of their chopped salad concept due to Hurricane Matthew, but this team is no stranger to dicing lettuce; she said they made 2,500 meals for the community with their church after the storm.

The sense of social service doesn’t stop there. Employees are paid a “liveable wage,” Yeung said, and will periodically be paid more every three months as the restaurant progresses. Most ingredients used in the chopped salads and smoothies are found at local farmers markets and the restaurant supports charities in the area with tip money collected each month.

“We really believe in supporting this community, this county, before anyone else,” she said.

In the future, Yeung said she and her husband hope to possibly open an Asian taco shop in the Sea Turtle Marketplace on the island and even a coffee and donuts shop in Bluffton. But for now she said they’re thinking about expanding Healthy Habit to breakfast as well, with acai bowls and steal cut oats in the morning.

“And since there’s nothing like this, we figured it’d be a good concept, a good idea to bring to Hilton Head,” she said.

This story was originally published January 27, 2017 at 6:33 PM with the headline "New healthy habits are coming to Hilton Head Island by means of chopped salads."