Organic quinoa, local greens and sustainable seafood are leading the takeout line

Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill shot up 12% after the company reported a nearly 26% spurt in its quarterly profit. For the fast-food industry , this was fresh evidence that the world of Big Macs and Doritos Locos Tacos has room for a menu with healthier-than-average food and higher-than-average prices.
But it came as no surprise to a new generation of smaller fast-food chains that are coming up fast behind Chipotle and its peers, and taking its “food with integrity“ mantra even further.

A handful of rapidly growing regional chains around the US offer enticements like grass-fed beef, organic produce, sustainable seafood and menus that change with the season. Most promise local ingredients; some are exclusively vegetarian or even vegan.

And despite the higher costs and prices, all are thriving and planning national expansions, some directed by alumni of fine dining or of fast-food giants like McDonald's. After decades of debate about the empty calories and environmental impact of fast food, the farm-to-table notions that have revolutionized higher-end American restaurants have finally found a lucrative spot in the takeout line.
The result? Farm to counter.

“This is not a passing fad,“ said B. Hudson Riehle, the research director for the National Restaurant Association. Locally grown food and sustainability were the top two customer priorities reported this year in the group's annual poll of American chefs.

These ambitious new chains make up only a sliver of the nation's $683 billion restaurant industry. But all are within its swiftest growing segment, “fast-casual“, whose offerings are marketed as a rung or two higher than those of Burger King or Taco Bell: fewer frozen and highly processed ingredients, more-comfortable seats, and (sometimes) healthier food.

Fast food is served with a halo of virtue nearly everywhere these days: Subway introduced wholesome-sounding “nine-grain“ bread in 2009, and McDonald's made itself the country's largest buyer of apples when it started selling apple slices in 2004.

But in order to be green enough for today's customers, and to justify charging $12 for salad, the newer chains promise an even more exalted level of nourishment.

By adapting to the seasons, by eliminating genetically modified ingredients and mainly by serving “real“ food. That means no protein powder shakes, turkey wraps and egg-white omelets, the staples of standard “healthy“ chains.

“Good food doesn't have to be expensive,“ Adam Eskin, founder, Dig Inn, said. “It's not calorically defined. It's not about being vegan or vegetarian. It's just knowing where your food comes from and exactly what's in it.“ Some of these terms are little more than buzzwords and branding: “Naturally raised“ is not a category recognized by the Agriculture Department, and it is debatable whether consumers should be concerned about the amount of growth hormone in a tablespoon of cheese.

LYFE Kitchen has a mission to go with its name (an acronym for Love Your Food Everyday). Each of its 10 restaurants has a wall of fluffy herbs growing in the dining room, uses china instead of plastic and keeps all entrees under 600 calories. “We want to be the place where the vegan can come for the portobello burger with almondmilk cheese, with the Neanderthal friend who just wants a really good cheeseburger,“ Mike Donahue , co-founder, LYFE Kitchen, said. “We want to beat the vegetarian veto, where one person gets to decide where the whole group is going to have lunch.“

For SweetGreen, which has 27 outlets, the target customer for their seasonal, local salads is an active, in-the-know type of any age -conscious achiever. SweetGreen also uses apps to predict customers' behavior. “We've been bringing in a lot more men since we added these,“ Nicolas Jammet, co-founder, said, pointing to steaming canisters of organic wild rice, quinoa and farro.

(Courtesy: NYT News Service)