Fast casual restaurant

Customers dining and ordering at a (now Chipotle) Soul Daddy outlet in South Street Seaport, Manhattan, N.Y. in 2011

A fast casual restaurant, found primarily in the United States, is a restaurant that does not offer full table service, but advertises higher quality food than fast-food restaurants. It is an intermediate concept between fast food and casual dining.^[1]

History

The concept originated in the United States in the early 1990s, but did not become mainstream until the end of the 2000s and the beginning of the 2010s.^[2] During the economic recession that began in 2007, the category of fast casual dining saw increased sales to the 18–34-year-old demographic.^[3] Customers with limited discretionary spending for meals tend to choose fast casual for dining which they perceive as healthier.^[3][4]

Major fast casual food chains saw reduced earnings in 2025, attributed to customers reducing their spending and increased competition. Researchers noted that more consumers, particularly young ones, are making their own lunches.^[5]

Origin of the term

The founder and publisher of FastCasual.com, Paul Barron, is credited with coining the term "fast-casual" in the late 1990s.^[6] Horatio Lonsdale-Hands, former chairman and CEO of ZuZu Inc., is also credited with coining the term. ZuZu, a handmade Mexican food concept co-founded by Lonsdale-Hands and Espartaco Borga in 1989, filed a U.S. Federal trademark registration for the term "fast-casual" in November 1995,^[7][8] leading Michael DeLuca to call Lonsdale-Hands a "progressive pioneer in the burgeoning 'fast-casual' market segment" in the July 1996 edition of Restaurant Hospitality.^[9]

Definition

The company Technomic Information Services defined "fast-casual restaurants" as meeting the following criteria:^[10]

• Limited-service or self-service format
• Average meal price between $8 and $15
• Made-to-order food with more complex flavors than fast food restaurants
• Upscale, unique or highly developed décor
• Most often will not have a drive-through

Examples of fast casual restaurants

• Au Bon Pain
• Barburrito
• Beef-a-roo
• Blaze Pizza
• BurgerFi
• Captain D's
• Cava
• Chipotle Mexican Grill^[11]
• Chopt^[12]
• Culver's
• Dig
• El Pollo Loco
• Fat Bastard Burrito
• Farmer Boys
• Firehouse Subs^[11]
• Five Guys^[11]
• Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers
• Fuddruckers
• Jason's Deli
• Jersey Mike's Subs^[11]
• Jimmy John's
• Just Salad^[13]
• McAlister's Deli
• Mendocino Farms
• Mission BBQ
• Mixt Greens
• Moe's Southwest Grill
• Mucho Burrito
• Panera Bread^[11]
• Portillo's Restaurants
• Potbelly Sandwich Shop
• Pret A Manger
• Qdoba
• Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers^[11]
• Shake Shack
• Smashburger
• Sweetgreen
• Taco del Mar
• The Halal Guys
• Tropical Smoothie Cafe
• Wingstop^[11]
• Zaxby's^[11]

See also

• List of casual dining restaurant chains
• List of fast food restaurant chains
• Delicatessen
• Diner

References

1. Liu, Evie. "Fast-Casual Restaurant Stocks Lost Their Sizzle. What Could Bring Them Back". barrons. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
2. "2010's Twenty Largest Fast-Casual Franchises". BlueMauMau. Archived from the original on January 25, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
3. Jargon, Julie (February 1, 2010). "As Sales Drop, Burger King Draws Critics for Courting 'Super Fans'". The Wall Street Journal. Yahoo! Finance. Archived from the original on February 4, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
4. Panera Bread Most Expensive Expensed Chain Restaurant, By Martha C. White, July 22, 2016, Money
5. Valinsky, Jordan (November 11, 2025). "Has the American worker fallen out of love with slop? | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
6. Wheelen, Thomas L.; Hunger, J. David (2006). Strategic Management and Business Policy: Cases (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Prentice Hall. ISBN 978-0-13-149460-2.
7. Penelope, Swift (2017). "Amadeus: Fast-Casual - Origin and Trademark". Retrieved February 20, 2018.
8. "Fast Casual Trademark Serial Number: 75017852".
9. "Formula for Success". Restaurant Hospitality. 80 (7): 81–86. July 1996.
10. "What exactly is fast casual?". Franchise Times. January 2008. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
11. Jennings, Lisa (June 4, 2024). "The 10 largest fast-casual restaurant chains by sales". Restaurantbusinessonline.com. Informa Connect. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
12. Thorn, Bret (July 12, 2024). "Chopt continues expansion into suburban markets". NRN.com. Informa. Retrieved September 8, 2025. The fast-casual restaurant is bringing its 'better tastes better' ethos to the drive-thru
13. Klein, Danny (July 20, 2021). "Just Salad Secures 'Largest Ever Capital Raise,' Looks to Double in Size". QSRmagazine.com. WTWH Media, LLC. Retrieved September 7, 2025.