By Joan Lang, Editorial Director
A new “fine casual” segment is evolving out of the Chipotle quick-quality model. Older concepts are rebranding as fast casual or launching their own F/C siblings. And all around, there is quick, healthy, customizable food that blazes a new guest-satisfaction trail.
It’s the dawning of yet a new age of segmentation around the twin goals of cooked-to-order food and convenient and contemporary trappings.
Small wonder. Traditional quick service is hurting for sales and struggling to redefine itself, and there’s no question that many consumers are losing their taste for fast food, whether because of boredom, health concerns, or desire for a better overall experience.
Finer, Faster
Call it Fine Casual. Call it Fast Fine. But whatever you call it, a new niche is evolving between fast-casual and casual—just as fast-casual created a space between fast food and casual over the past decade.
Many of the concepts are being developed by fine dining chefs, intent on bringing their cooking to a wider segment of the dining public—and hoping for a Danny Meyer/Shake Shack-size payout.
Beefsteak is Jose Andres’s entry into the market, where “fresh, market-driven vegetables take center-stage.” The menu focuses on make-your-own grain and veggie bowls, with or without meat or another protein, plus a tightly curated list of Our Favorites that include a salad, gazpacho and a Beefsteak tomato “burger.”
David Chang’s new Fuku concept centers on an $8 spicy fried chicken sandwich, fries and a salad—no more and no less—and entertained such lines during its first week of operations that it had to close for a weekend to regroup.
Meanwhile, Honor Society Handcrafted Eatery in Denver, spearheaded by local chef Justin Bronson, is dubbing itself a healthful, “fast fine” concept serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a scratch menu built around a platform of plated meals, with a base protein and side dishes featuring seasonal and sustainable ingredients.
In San Francisco, Little Gem promises “order-at-the-counter dining taken to a new level of quality and experience,” courtesy of two Thomas Keller alumni who are in the process of putting together a menu that is dairy-, gluten- and sugar-free.
The dual-format Little Beet and Little Beet Table, based in the New York area, are also offering accessible, affordable, veggie-centric food in the fast casual segment, as well as a “polished casual” venue where chef Franklin Becker gets to flex his creative muscles a bit. With a “create-your-plate” platform as well as house-designed signatures, The Little Beet caters to the “guiltin’ free” set, while The Little Beet Table offers table service, wine and beer, and a more refined overall experience.
And on the flip side, Darren Tristano of Technomic even posits that there’s room in the equation for something called QSR-Plus, with a stripped down, quality-oriented menu that guests are willing to pay more for because of its quality focus—as evidenced by the success of brands like Chick-fil-A and Potbelly.
Healthy Equation
If there’s one thing that defines the new generation of fast casual restaurants, it’s the search for healthful dining options—not the sprouts and tamari “health food” of old but the DIY, veggie- and grain-laden model that also eschews gluten, refined sugar and other current lifestyle no-no’s.
Matt Matros, founder of Protein Bar, modeled his menu on the kind of food he’d want to eat himself, including “bar-ritos” that change out the burrito’s rice for quinoa, a variety of gluten free bowls, egg-white and oatmeal breakfasts, and salads, juices and blended drinks
Matthew Kenney, known to raw foodists and vegetarians as a chef to be reckoned with, has launched Make Out, “a plant-based fast casual café for the everyday eater.” The menu highlights greens, bowls, wraps and flatbreads, as well as such dairy-free sweets as parfait cups, cookies and cheesecake.
In fact, bowls are emerging as the newest platform for the customizable, fast-casual menu, obviating the need for bread and allowing for bases of grains, greens, veggies and other good-for-you ingredients. Bowl of Heaven, on the expansion trail with new franchise agreements in California and Nevada, is typical of the genre. Its menu is anchored by acai bowls that are custom-made with trendy superfruits, as well as fresh juices and enhanced smoothies.
New Flavor Experiences
It stands to reason that the fast-casual format would also bring new flavors and globally themed menus to the marketplace.
- Lolo’s Seafood Shack, in New York City, is inspired by the casual, beachside seafood joints of St. Martine and elsewhere in the Caribbean. The menu includes traditional seafood steampots and Shark & Bake, as well as snacks, sandwiches and veggie sides such as johnnycakes and sweet potatoes with honey butter.
- Dos Toros is a San Francisco-style taqueria with six locations in the New York City area, and a simple mix-and-match menu that offers three different proteins (carnitas, carne asada and pollo asado, plus rice and beans) in a choice of burrito, plate, salad, quesadilla or taco.
- At Uma Temakaria, the creation of a Michelin-starred Manhattan chef, the vehicle for freshness and customization fast-casual style is hand-roll sushi, a freshly made seaweed cone filled with the likes of salmon, tuna, tofu, avocado and seaweed salad, as well as a custom hand roll or rice bowl option.
- In Southern California, fast-growing Slapfish is a fast-casual “modern seafood shack” specializing in such iconic sandwiches as fish tacos, lobster rolls, as crab-lobster grilled cheese, along with signature sauces such as housemade tartar, Sriracha spread and creamy lemon herb. Daily seafood plates and sandwiches, plus sides and snacks (hand-cut chips, lobster dip, fried pickles) round out the bill of fare. Owner Andrew Gruel is committed to ocean sustainability, which sweetens the deal.
Want help with your fast-casual concept? Contact Synergy Restaurant Consultants.