I'm starting a healthy fast food chain

[Chaohinon]

Originally Posted by homerunrbi

Heres some good tips

-simple menu(look at subway they started with just sandwiches and pre-bagged chips. Than after they already had a market they moved into cookies, soups, ...)
-fresh local ingredients(less cost for transportation and you can secure low prices and claim you support local farmers. Also the food will last longer)
-in season ingredients(cheaper, fresher)
-1/3 cost ratios(aka 1/3 goes to food costs, 1/3 goes to staff, 1/3 goes to profit/upkeep)

I recommend you watch some of Gordon Ramsays kitchen nightmares(uk version only) shows. He really has some great insight into how to successfully run a restaurant(even though yours will be fast food)

Qfft. Absolutely one of the major mistakes restaurateurs make is simply trying to do too many things at once (30 menu items, too much stock on hand that goes bad, too much conflicting work leaves the employees bouncing around like chickens, unable to accomplish anything effectively).

Keep it simple. I'm currently working for a bistro/coffee house which (on top of a very poor layout - do your research!) decided to go with the build-your-own-sandwich deal, and it's a nightmare for everyone involved. Too confusing for myself and the customer, requires too much stock which mostly goes to the dumpster, and inevitably leads to chain reactions of bizarre custom-items that keep us from being able to execute our job effectively.

You need to stick to unique signature items that are distinctly your own, or at least your own spin on classic items.

IE: The Gilf Hunter
Broccoli sprouts, avocado hummus, and cracked pepper turkey, and sharp provolone on a whole grain wrap, served with a side of orange-zested quinoa.

Stick to a small menu of such items (little or no room for customization - contrary to what a lot of people may think, limiting choices actually keeps complaints at a minimum), and rotate it based on what ingredients are in season and what sells vs. what doesn't.

Furthermore, take note of what the successful chains are doing. Panera, for example, infuses its Iced Green Tea with passionfruit and honeydew flavors; this keeps people coming back for a taste of something that is uniquely their own. Little things such as that will help you stand out.

By no means am I an expert, but I've watched enough restaurants tank to know what doesn't work.

[zither]

I think a successful venture should incorporate Southeast Asian, Indian, and/or Middle Eastern influences, otherwise people will find it bland and it will suffer from that "I could do this at home" quality.

You could do all wraps, with 6-8 options, kind of a "wraps of the world". e.g...
- The Lebanese: hummus mushroom wrap
- The Indian: chicken saag (spinach yogurt puree) w basmati rice wrapped in low-fat naan bread
- The Laotian: pork/chicken/shrimp laab lettuce wrap
- The Vietnamese: based on a banh mi
- The Caribbean: mango-chicken wrap
- The Mexican: i've always thought chipotle could be very healthy if they just toned down the corn oil in the tortilla, stuck to guac as the main topping, and reduced portion size
- The Argentinean: Flank steak w chimichurri sauce
- The Southwestern...


Note that in NYC we already have calories posted for all chains, and this may be coming to other cities in the near future, so you would need something other than that to attract health-conscoius consumers.

[xmoht]

Originally Posted by Suzash

I think it's a great idea OP! So what if it would cost customers more $$$$ than a typical fast food joint, it sounds like you would market your establishment to people who would be willing to pay extra for a healthy meal on the go and I think there are a lot of people out there who this would appeal to.
Some ideas:
-Oatmeal
-An omelette station (like Subway has for sandwhiches, but instead mix up everything with eggs or eggwhites)
-Sweet potato fries
-Lean meat or veggie chili
-Veggies with hummus
Wow...the options are endless really...

I've seen a lot of healthy restaurants like the one being proposed, and the they generally contain all the suggestions everyone is giving. Except yours. These are quite possibly the best suggestions I have ever seen.

An omelette station is pure gold! Oatmeal, my god the amount of times I've searched for a bowl of porridge to no avail, and when you do find it it's in a fancy B&B for 9 dollars. Sweet potato fries? Jackpot! You sir, are a restaurant health food genius.

Added with an Edit: If you can offer a healthy properly cooked lean burger aswell. Lots of great suggestions here, it's tempting to think of what we could all be doing in our prospective towns!

[Simmo0508]

I think creating your own meal would be good. A lot of fitness'y types of people don't always want a set menu presented to them, but rather pick a bunch of ingredients and given to them on a plate.

Like say a guy rocks up and just wants some chicken breast & brown rice. Nothing else, that's it, straight up. He doesn't want some fancy ass name for the meal, he doesn't want a side dish, he doesn't want nothing except his damn protein and carbs.

Something like "you choose the meal" would be good to add to your restaurant imo. Gives more freedom to a variety of different people. Cos that's always one thing personally i hate when ordering at restaurants. They'll either cook something the way you don't want it to be cooked, or they'll add some extra hidden ingredient you didn't ask for etc.

[daYDreAmErX]

The way people talk in this thread makes me wonder... where the he*l do you guys live ? There are plenty of healthy places to eat around here (smoothie, food, organic take-out, vegetarian and vegan restaurants, etc.). And they're not all super expensive.

[PickItUp]

Keep it simple!

Serve burgers...but use 93/7 lean ground beef and advertise this heavily!
Serve grilled chicken breast on whole grain wheat buns.
Serve fresh fruit (sliced to order)
Serve salads and all the accessories that go along with them
Serve protein shakes instead of just milkshakes.

In other words, take the current fast food model, and use healthier ingredients. Your costs will be a little higher, but people will pay the slight difference if they are health conscious.

[Dominikm]

there are heaps of places in perth that are doing what you are plannig to, sumo salad, subway ofcourse, i'm not sure of anymore names but there are quite a few that have more than one shop n it's like a make it yourself sanwich/roll place or they have other healthy stuff...

Costs the same as subway almost.

[emilyslowiak]

Originally Posted by dat

Fat free is not necessarily healthy.

Yeah-- I would not go near anything marketed as "fat-free" aka replaced with other items like sugars, salts, carbs etc...

There is always room in the food market though for better, more affordable food. I don't think you would be appealing to this croud but as someone else said the more yuppie type who has money to burn and not as much nutritional know-how.

[dago85]

remember to me, pump energy in new york...

[Suzash]

Originally Posted by xmoht

An omelette station is pure gold! Oatmeal, my god the amount of times I've searched for a bowl of porridge to no avail, and when you do find it it's in a fancy B&B for 9 dollars. Sweet potato fries? Jackpot! You sir, are a restaurant health food genius.

I'm actually a lady....but I still accept the compliment

[irun4fun5]

i would eat a sandwich made with some kind of meat, some veggies, and mabey some mustard or something that comes the length of a runer for $5, never been able to find a deal like that though.. ill keep looking.