Flat Out Crazy Restaurant Group, operator of casual-dining brand Stir Crazy Fresh Asian Grill and fast-casual chain Flat Top Stir Fry Grill, will debut a new concept, SC Asian, in the food court of Macy’s flagship store in San Francisco, company president Greg Carey said.
“We signed the license agreement with Macy’s a while ago,” Carey said, “and while I was looking for locations of theirs for a Stir Crazy or Flat Top, they called and said, ‘We have an opportunity in the flagship at Union Square in San Francisco.’”
However, a Stir Crazy unit wouldn’t fit logistically or space-wise, and Macy’s didn’t want a create-your-own stir-fry concept in that particular store, ruling out Flat Top, he said.
“I said, ‘We’re still in, and we’ll figure it out,’” Carey said. “My team over the next six weeks created the name and the menu, designed the space, hired the management team, and built it from scratch.”
The concept that resulted, SC Asian, is a hybrid fast-casual restaurant with full-service elements. Guests order at the cash register and food runners deliver their meals, but after that point, a server waits on guests with a hand-held terminal for ordering more drinks and dessert and for paying by credit card.
SC Asian is scheduled to open to the public Nov. 14.
“Everything down there in that marketplace is fast casual, so we had to have the fast-casual timing and pricing,” Carey said. “But because it has an island bar in the middle of the dining room, it gave us a chance to expand and add more full service to it.”
The company also inherited a wood-burning oven with the 4,600 square feet it took over, which opened up the menu possibilities for SC Asian.
Continued from page 1
“The oven creates incredible flexibility,” Carey said. “We can do Asian flatbreads and Vietnamese bánh mì sandwiches. It all ties together extremely well.”
RELATED: Bánh mì chains bank on next sandwich trend
The SC Asian concept also allows for flexible development and can be molded into several applications. Carey sees SC Asian fitting into about 100 Macy’s properties nationwide, as well as airports, upscale food courts and freestanding units. The next possible locations for SC Asian are in the end-cap of a large development and a hard corner of an urban downtown, he said.
Interest in Asian cuisine is growing as 23 percent of consumers surveyed by The NPD Group earlier this year said they were looking for more Asian-type foods. Meanwhile, Chipotle Mexican Grill has stoked the desire for Asian flavors with the debut in September of its fast-casual ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen in Washington, D.C.
Carey also said that the toehold SC Asian has established in California should allow for expansion to the West Coast for Stir Crazy and Flat Top. The company had not opened in California until now because of the high cost of doing business, including a higher minimum wage, no tip credit and higher costs for everything from insurance to real estate.
“It’s difficult to do business in California, but then what’s the upside?” he said. “California’s dining scene may be the best in the country, and the volumes tend to be higher. You have to go in there knowing you’re in the right spot.”
Carey disagreed that stir-fry chains like his or competitors Genghis Grill and bd’s Mongolian Grill have avoided California until now because of a robust stir-fry scene among independents. The company named its concept SC Asian to signify that it offered a global Asian menu, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and Indian.
“How do I feel about being three blocks from the most dynamic Chinatown in the U.S.? I feel great about it,” he said. “Our global mind-set makes me comfortable being here.”
Ultimately, the territory SC Asian is meant to occupy between fast casual and full service, with price points ranging from $8 to $14, gives Flat Out Crazy the most confidence, Carey said.
“Anything that takes a niche like fast casual and elevates it and creates its own space, there’s a win in there,” Carey said. “Being able to make quick decisions lets you fall into a deal like this that can yield a completely original idea.”
Chicago-based Flat Out Crazy operates 17 Stir Crazy locations in 10 states and 17 Flat Top units in five states.
Contact Mark Brandau at [email protected].
Follow him on Twitter: @Mark_from_NRN
