LYFE Kitchen has had a strong year, with a cash infusion from Memphis, Tenn.-based Wendy’s franchisee Carlisle Corp. in May, and a Hot Concepts award from Nation’s Restaurant News in July.
On Dec. 1, the Chicago-based fast-casual chain, whose name stands for “love your food every day,” will double in size within one year, with the opening of its first restaurant in New York City and its 14th unit overall.
The restaurant will be the chain’s largest unit and its first in the Northeast. Cofounder and brand relations officer Mike Donahue said the opening signals that the three-year-old concept is “staking a claim on being a national chain.”
Donahue recently discussed LYFE Kitchen’s evolution and its plans for New York with Nation’s Restaurant News.
What is unique about the Manhattan location of LYFE Kitchen?
It’s going to be our biggest restaurant — 10,000 square feet. It’s got a ground level and mezzanine level — seating for 126. And, of course, we’re using New York suppliers wherever we can. As we grow and get to know the area, we’ll do more and more of that. We also put in a mural of a beautiful farm in upper New York.
What kinds of local items will LYFE use?
We’re using mushrooms from Pennsylvania, and when they’re in season we’ll be using asparagus, zucchini, peppers and melons from third-generation farmers in New Jersey.
You change the menu fairly often.
We change it seasonally. We found out early on that even though we sell a lot of Brussels sprouts, we should change them for asparagus in the spring.
You have locations in Chicago, California, Colorado, Texas, Nevada and now New York. Is there much regional variation in the menu?
We added a Black Bean Bowl in Texas, and in Colorado we have Bison Burgers and Bison Tacos, which are very popular there. In New York we’re introducing a Chile-Ginger Stir-Fry and a Barramundi Noodle Bowl made with soba noodles, mushrooms, scallions and edamame in a mildly spicy kimchi broth.
We also have a full liquor license, so we’re going to have cocktails — a Cucumber Cilantro Margarita and the Herbal Remedy, which has Hendricks gin, mint, rosemary, basil, ginger and lime. We’ll also be offering local beers and Gimme! coffee, which is a local roaster.
We did focus groups in New York and found that fish tacos were a favorite, too, and [chef] Art Smith’s Unfried Chicken.
What is LYFE’s brand positioning as a healthful chain?
Everything on the menu has 1,000 milligrams or less of sodium, and less than 600 calories, but we don’t say the ‘h’ word very often. We like to talk about the great taste, familiar foods and the ambience.
What research do you conduct before entering a new market?
We have a dedicated real estate person who found the site of the New York location [in Midtown]. We like to be near like businesses, like Whole Foods, where people are looking for fresh, authentic food that’s good for them.
Then we go in and do some sophisticated focus groups about how we should talk about our food. First we’ll talk to them about the concept — we videotape them — and listen to what they’re looking for. Then we’ll feed them the food, and almost every time they start out apprehensive because it’s a complicated menu with a lot of authentic cooking and items they haven’t heard of before. But that changes once they taste it.
We also start hunting for suppliers. We have a supply chain expert who works with a small team, and we try to continually increase our local suppliers. We already have some local vegetables and chicken.
In the focus groups, did you find that New Yorkers had different tastes from people in other markets?
I would say in New York they were more excited with the variety, and they liked the fact that some of the dishes had a little more heat and unusual combinations of ingredients, so they felt they were having a unique experience, too.
We also found that the participants in the New York focus group were not at all concerned about value. Many reported they were willing to pay more than the listed price for the items they tasted, but that’s what we like — breaking the myth that great tasting food that also happens to be nutritious isn’t affordable.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected].
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