In his review today one of the (few) things Times critic Pete Wells actually liked about dining at Shake Shack was its exceedingly polite service—which isn't really a surprise as the chain is owned by Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group which is known for, you guessed it, its hospitality. But with restaurant margins tight and the economy still shaky, now even regular old fast-casual spots are trying to learn to better service their customers. more ›

Chipotle, the fast-casual burrito chain that is surprisingly hard to hate, keeps getting greener. Perhaps to take attention away from the whole illegal employees thing (or to keep us from focusing on the whole chorizo made with chicken thing) the chain has announced that this year their food is going to be way local. In 2010 they served five million pounds of tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and the like sourced from within 350 miles. So naturally this year they say they are on track to serve ten million pounds of local produce to go along with their relatively ethically-raised meat. more ›

When you think of prix fixe dinners, do you think of absurdly expensive meals in white tablecloth restaurants or do you think of second-rate seafood served by flair-ridden waitresses in chain restaurants? Red Lobster hopes is banking on the latter—the fast casual chain has gone and added a $15 "Seafood Feast" four-course prix fixe to its repertoire. more ›

A Times article on the popularity of “fast-casual” restaurants continues to cause some major head scratching. In straightforward expansionist news, the article reported that the Five Guys burger chain plan on opening 29 new local outlets in the next 8 years, and Hale and Hearty is busy putting the finishing touches on its 20,000 square foot Williamsburg production facility. more ›