Miami native Justin Smolev spent some time in the advertising world before graduating from the French Culinary Institute. After that, Smolev worked at several renowned restaurants, including Daniel and Le Bernardin in New York City and the French Laundry in Napa Valley. Those experiences come into play at Dressed —- Smolev's sophisticated but lively fast-casual concept, also known as "salads with style." That translates to multiple choices of imaginative fixings, prepared fresh while you wait, with some fine dining flourishes. In addition to the original Midtown location, two new Buckhead and Perimeter venues are set to open this summer, and Smolev recently closed a deal for a Hong Kong franchise.

How did you come up with the idea for Dressed?

I got fried working in high-end restaurant kitchens. It was a great opportunity, but it's a very intense place to work. So I took some time off, came to Atlanta, and did a bit of catering. But I kept having that pull to get back in the restaurant business. I'd never owned a restaurant, but I knew I really wanted to do something that was lifestyle oriented and would fill a void in Atlanta. I feel like I've taken the salad concept to its highest level, while still being a fast-casual place.

What's the key to creating a successful franchise?

Right from the start, I wanted to do something that could be duplicated, and have a brand. But you have to have the basic components. You have to have style —- something that's catchy, something that's different. You have to have quality —- I use high-quality ingredients, and it shows. And you have to have good service —- we teach all of our employees that the customer is No. 1.

You're opening two new Atlanta locations this summer, and then you're opening in Hong Kong. How did that happen?

I was only open for about seven months when I caught the eye of a group in Hong Kong that wanted to bring a salad concept there. They felt that there was an absolute void for a healthy, fast alternative in Hong Kong. At first I laughed at it, because I get so many calls from people who want to franchise. But they felt that my place was a perfect fit for the Asian market, and we did a great deal. And now we're negotiating with a group in Japan, and working on a deal in Los Angeles. So a lot is happening all at once.

Closer to home, you have some nifty delivery scooters.

Those came out of necessity, really. We wanted to do delivery in the Midtown market, but there's just no place to park a car. So I found a delivery scooter that has a big box built onto the back that was a perfect fit for what I was imagining. Riders can zip right up on the sidewalk and deliver an order. And the fuel consumption is nonexistent. It's just a nice, cheap way to get my stuff out there, plus it's great marketing.

For you, what makes the perfect salad?

The perfect salad is not overdressed or underdressed. It's a salad that has all crisp, fresh components. We chop everything here, so it's nice and blended. The perfect salad is melded so that you taste all the ingredients together in every bite. Beyond that, it's just good flavor combinations. We come up with featured salads every week that give us an opportunity to use all sorts of new and seasonal ingredients.

Dressed, 950 W. Peachtree St., Suite 240, Midtown. 404-347-3434, www.dressedsalads.com