Is Fine-Casual the New Fast-Casual?

When you think of fast food, “quality” typically isn’t the first word to come to mind. However, a slew of fast-casual chains have transformed what consumers associate with affordable food served quickly.

MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes*, Chipotle, Back Yard Burgers - these brands and many more have set themselves apart from the competition by focusing on high-quality ingredients. According to Danny Meyer, founder of Shake Shack, this is the beginning of what he refers to as “fine-casual dining.”

As reported by Entrepreneur, Meyer used his recent TEDxManhattan talk to expound on this trend.

“Fine-casual means taking the cultural priorities that fine dining, at its best, believes in," Meyer told Entrepreneur. "How do you hire people who care about hospitality, how do you source ingredients responsibly, cook them with as much care as possible, and make restaurants that actually taste like where they are?"

According to Meyer, more fine dining chefs may soon try their hand at casual restaurants, partly because younger consumers are increasingly likely to opt for food options outside the standard fast food bubble.

In keeping with younger generations’ impact on franchises, Meyer also told Entrepreneur that easy access to social media through devices like iPhones has changed the game.

"I think that Shake Shack wouldn't exist had it not been for Twitter," Meyer said. "I don't think you would have gotten a hundred New Yorkers to stand in line for an hour if they couldn't have made their time really productive and organized snowball fights, ordered free hot chocolate, and you know, Instagrammed photos."

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