Article

Sports bar taking on fast casuals with express lunch

Another full-service restaurant throws its hat in the fast casual ring.

April 2, 2013

Big-name casual dining chains, like Red Lobster and Applebee's, aren't the only full-service restaurants testing express lunch concepts in an effort to compete with fast casuals. The Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille, a 36-unit chain on the East Coast, has also introduced a new "Express Lunch" program.

Thirty of the chain's locations throughout Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and Washington, D.C., are now offering a limited menu of quickly prepared, fresh items from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, said Bob Barry, CEO/president of The Greene Turtle.

"We felt we needed to be recognized for having fast service, fresh food and fair prices to compete with the fast casual concept," he said. "We feel it positions us competitively against the fast casual segment, with a menu of high-quality offerings offered fast and affordably. So far, customers are responding well."

The menu features a special burger of the day, other hot sandwiches and three salads, each for $6.99 each. Two of the chain's flatbread pizzas, the Crab Flatbread and the Margherita Flatbread, are available on the Express Menu for $7.99, and customers may also order Maryland Crab Soup, French Onion Soup or Chili for $4.99.

The most popular offering on the fast casual menu, however, is the create-yout-own,  two-item combo meal for $7.99, Barry said. Guests choose from the soups, a half sandwich or half pizza or a salad, or make any Express Menu sandwich purchase a meal with French fries and a soda for an additional $1.99.

It's no surprise that full-service restaurants are trying to compete in the fast casual space, considering how popular the establishments are becoming. In its annual report of the 500 largest U.S. restaurant chains, Technomic found that eight of the 10 fastest-growing restaurant chains with sales above $2 million are from the fast casual sector.

Another recent Technomic report found that more than four out of five casual-dining consumers said they visited a fast casual (85 percent) and traditional casual-dining restaurants (82 percent) at least once a month.

The Greene Turtle has been promoting the its fast casual menu via a combination of on-site and online vehicles, including messages to members of its E-Club, notices on the company's website and Facebook page, banners on building exteriors, in-store posters and other methods. A new wave of digital advertising rolling out from the chain next month also will be targeted to its growing lunch audience.

The program is in a test phase for now that will last for a few months. If received well, Barry said it will become an ongoing feature at all locations.

Read more about operations management.