Fast casual restaurant

A fast casual restaurant is a type of restaurant, found primarily in the United States, that does not offer full table service, but promises a higher quality of food with fewer frozen or processed ingredients than a fast food restaurant. It is an intermediate concept between fast food and casual dining, and typically priced accordingly. The category is exemplified by chains such as Chipotle Mexican Grill, Culvers, Zaxby's, Noodles & Co., Panera Bread, Pizza Ranch, and Shake Shack.

History

The concept did not become popular in the United States until the early to mid-1990s, and did not become mainstream until the end of the 2000s and the beginning of the 2010s.

During the economic downturn beginning in 2007, fast casual dining saw increased sales to the 18–34 demographic. Customers with limited discretionary spending on meals tend to use it on dining perceived as healthier.

Logistics

Publisher and founder of FastCasual.com Paul Barron is credited for coining the term "fast-casual" in the late 1990s. Horatio Lonsdale-Hands, former Chairman and CEO of ZuZu Inc., is also credited with coining the term "fast-casual". ZuZu, a handmade Mexican food concept co-founded by Lonsdale-Hands in 1989, filed a U.S. Federal trademark registration for the term "fast-casual" in November 1995. In the July 1996 edition of Restaurant Hospitality, editor/associate publisher Michael DeLuca calls Lonsdale-Hands a "progressive pioneer in the burgeoning 'fast-casual' market segment."

The company Technomic Information Services defined the term "fast-casual restaurants" as meeting the following criteria:

• Limited-service or self-service format
• Average meal price between $8 and $15
• Made-to-order food with more complex flavors than fast food restaurants
• Upscale, unique or highly developed décor
• Most often will not have a drive thru

See also

• List of casual dining restaurant chains