4/11/2006 Add a comment

The rise of Potbelly, Corner Bakery, Panera and the like has led to a lunch revolution in Washington, DC. Now you can't walk out of a Starbucks in DC without running into a "fast-casual" restaurant. But beware... Potbelly's vegetarian sandwich with cheese has 555 calories, or about the same as a Big Mac.

I also love how the chains define themselves vis-a-vis each other. "We're known for delivering food to the table." "We prepare food in front of you." It's sort of like how 15 years ago when Applebee's, Chili's, and TGI Friday's all distinguished themselves by having different types of tchotchkes on the wall. William

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