Editor's note: This story has been updated with comments from LYFE Kitchen's chief communications officer.
LYFE Kitchen, a healthful fast-casual concept from a team that includes a former McDonald’s executive, opened its first restaurant Wednesday in Palo Alto, Calif.
The concept features menu items containing fewer than 600 calories each, some with organic ingredients, and less than 1,000 milligrams of sodium. Draft and bottled beers and “bio-dynamic” wines are served with juices, smoothies and alternative “coolers,” including a cucumber-mint variety.
LYFE Kitchen, whose name is an acronym for “Love Your Food Everyday,” serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The restaurant’s management team includes chief executive Mike Roberts, who formerly was president and chief operating officer of McDonald’s Corp., and investment banker Stephen Sidwell. Sidwell also is an investor in Garden Protein International, the Canada-based company that produces Gardein, a meat-free protein line included in several LYFE Kitchen recipes.
The menu was created by consulting chefs Art Smith, Oprah Winfrey’s former personal chef, and Tal Ronnen, executive chef for Gardein, both of whom are known for promoting healthful eating.
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The brand is one of a growing number of health-focused concepts, including Seasons 52, owned by Orlando, Fla.-based Darden Restaurants Inc., and True Foods Kitchen, from Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Fox Restaurant Concepts.
Mike Donahue, Chicago-based LYFE Kitchen’s chief communications officer, said the concept is aimed squarely at one demographic.
“We look for everyone who is looking for great-tasting food that is good for them, but we know perfectly well that the people who are making the purchasing decisions for their children are the mothers,” Donahue said at a pre-opening event. “Our major demographic is moms and women ages 19 to 49 years old.”
Hear more from Donahue; story continues on next page
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“For me, this is kind of like the next phase of my life,” chief executive Roberts said at the event. “To see our teammates, all of our crew and our guests and managers responding with such enthusiasm about the taste and quality of the food is really rewarding.”
The menu includes whole-grain buttermilk pancakes, a grain bowl featuring farro and quinoa, a grass-fed burger and chocolate volcano cake for dessert. Prices range from $2 for a tofu side, to $11.99 for shrimp risotto.
The first evening of service “exceeded our expectations,” Donahue said.
“There was a great turnout, with lots of positive energy,” he said. “People were coming in and grabbing menus, and some were given little tours and told about the [concept’s] environmentally friendly aspects.”
The restaurant uses renewable resources for some surfaces, such as bamboo for tabletops and flooring, and recycles hot cooking exhaust to heat the dishwasher.
Donahue said the 3,500-square-foot restaurant seats 80 people indoor and another 20 on the patio. And more of the kitchen will be open to public view at future locations to highlight the food’s freshness.
“The more the guest sees and learns and talks about the preparation, the better for our business,” he said.
“We anticipate the average [unit development cost] will be $1.2 million to $1.5 million,” Donahue said. Targeted average annual sales are about $2.4 million per unit from daypart per-person averages of $7 at breakfast, $11 at lunch and $13 at dinner.
Contact Alan J. Liddle at [email protected].
Follow him on Twitter: @AJ_NRN