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The Crack Shack is the brainchild of CEO Michael Rosen and “Top Chef” alumni chef Richard Blais, who debuted the concept in a shed next door to Juniper & Ivy restaurant in San Diego. The limited-service restaurant specializes in premium fried chicken sandwiches and serves breakfast all day. While the food isn’t cheap — the average check is $20 to $25 — Rosen called it a “very affordable luxury.”
East Hampton Sandwich Co. founder Hunter Pond wanted to serve upscale food, but without the full-service model. To accomplish that he married high-end ingredients, such as lobster and beef tenderloin, with a fast-casual service style. The chain outsources its bread baking to increase focus on its premium ingredients and toppings and to keep units small and efficient. The chain, which has six units in the Dallas area, is scouting sites for two new locations in Houston.
Holler & Dash turns the old-fashioned Southern biscuit house into a contemporary fast-casual brand. The menu includes about a dozen biscuit sandwiches, as well as such breakfast classics as potatoes, beignets and grits. The four-unit chain is growing with help from parent company Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc.
The Kati Roll Company has positioned itself to tap into the growing Indian cuisine trend with its signature kati roll, which is marinated meats or spiced potatoes wrapped in a flatbread — basically an Indian burrito. Kati Roll Company’s menu also includes shrimp and vegetarian kati rolls, as well as a line of lassi, a yogurt-based drink. The chain expanded from one 300-square-foot location in New York to four restaurants in New York City, another in London and plans for more.
The Ruby Slipper Cafe was founded in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and celebrates the city’s signature cuisine by putting a Cajun riff on brunch classics, such as eggs cochon and fried oyster biscuits, stuffed French toast and bacon-infused Bloody Marys. The initial 52-seat location drew long lines with its authentic, funky New Orleans vibe, and the chain has since grown to seven locations in the city, as well as in Pensacola, Fla., and Orange Beach, Ala. Another is slated for Baton Rouge later this year.
Cousins Kim and Tyler Malek launched Salt & Straw as a food cart serving artisanal ice cream in Portland, Ore., in 2011. The brand is known for its high-end flavors, such as Freckled Woodblock Chocolate, made with hand-roasted chocolate beans, and Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons, made with salt from the renowned Mark Bitterman. The chain now has eight locations in Portland and Los Angeles, as well as an online retail operation selling hand-packed pints at $9 each.
Starbird is the brainchild of The Culinary Edge, a restaurant industry consulting firm. The Sunnyvale, Calif., fast-casual restaurant opened last June and specializes in chicken sandwiches, wraps and salads made with free-range chicken. Starbird serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Convenience is a priority for the brand, which offers a mobile app that lets customers place their orders for eat-in, takeout or to have meals brought to their car. Delivery is also available via a number of third-party delivery services.
Tacodeli puts an Austin, Texas-inspired twist on the traditional taqueria. The six-unit chain, which was founded in the city, serves items like a Cowboy Taco with dry-rubbed beef tenderloin and roasted peppers. The chain’s co-founders say they aim for each location to maintain its own personality, even as they expand. The chain’s seventh unit, scheduled to open late this month, is going into a nearly 100-year-old building — think exposed brick and high ceilings — while another location is new construction with a more industrial, eco-friendly vibe.
