Quasi fast-food

Working in big (or rather, middle-sized) city, one is always faced with the noontime delimma: where do I eat? While cities are abound with restaurants big and small, fast-food joints and way too many delis, the choice is always difficult. Denver, for example, has tons of nice restaurants with unique and appetizing menus, but paying $15 a day for lunch can get quite pricey over time; that’s an average of $300+ dollars on weekday lunches over the course of a month. Of course, one could head over to the corner McDonald’s and buy a few 99 cent hamburgers but that would prove quite detrimental to ones health. And who wants to eat poor quality burgers everyday, anyway? There is also the option of going to a deli for a handmade sandwich, but a $7 sandwich or salad does seem quite excessive. The point being, finding a cheap alternative to the brown-bag lunch is not an easy feat.

Enter the quasi fast-food restaurant. These restaurants have been popping up all over the place for quite a few years now and yes, they usually are franchises. Their claim: real food, prepared fast at an affordable (though not dirt-cheap fast-food) price.  They prepare a meal with freh ingredients (i.e. not defrosted and reheated) in a matter of minutes (though not quite fast-food speed) and the best part: no tip required. They also boast a certain quality to their products (i.e. all natural, organic, local, etc.) Examples of such restaurants include: Noodles and Co., Illegal Petes, An’s Lemongrass Grill or Panera Bread (though this one borders on deli). At Noodles and Co., your plate of noodles is delivered right to your table in a real bowl (none of that disposable plate thing) and usually costs between 6 and 8 dollars.  It is quite a nice alternative to the cold turkey sandwich with greasy chips.