Published October 5, 2015

It’s Not Just Fast-Casual, It’s Chef-Casual

Restaurant Hospitality posted a great interview with three chefs/owners of “Chef-casual” restaurants who discussed the appeal and challenge of running a restaurant in this new market segment. Chef-casual is a new take on fast-casual dining that uses menus and concepts created by well-known fine dining chefs but serves food at a much lower price point than the chefs’ flagship establishments.

In the interview, the chefs talk about what drove them to create their fast-casual concepts. Dallas-based restaurateur Tim Byres noted that he wanted to create a more hospitality-focused vibe, and tried to emulate nostalgic memories of old fast food places. Chef Ken Rathburn talked about celebrating the local foods he grew up with. The chefs noted that they try to keep up the quality of cooking at their casual restaurants despite the lower price point.

Chef-focused casual restaurants are definitely popular right now, but the trend is so new that it is hard to say how the concept will fare in the future. Hopefully, chefs will be able to serve a high enough volume to remain profitable without sacrificing food quality.

Read the full article here: Why the chef-casual segment is so appealing

Link: http://restaurant-hospitality.com/new-restaurant-concepts/why-chef-casual-segment-so-appealing?page=1