Why come up with a creative, health-conscious concept when what we really want are burgers and fries that don't kill us? This appears to be strategy behind Energy Kitchen, whose recent signage highlights ostensibly healthy burgers and fries under 500 calories.
Energy Kitchen touts grass-fed beef and wheat buns as better for you than the
meat and white bread used at parallel fast-food outlets. But should you wish to strike burgers from your diet, six salad variations, ten wraps (think veggie tuna and bison cheese steak), a dozen veggie sides, and a slew of breakfast wraps round out the menu. If you're curious about nutrition information and sandwich innards -- for example, five egg whites on a whole-wheat wrap at 245 calories, check it out here.
The first Florida location for Energy Kitchen opened in Pinecrest this past August, with eight others based in and around New York City. The chain was started in 2003 by New Yorker Anthony Leone, who had been a manager for Boston Market, reported the Miami Herald.
The Fort Lauderdale branch of Energy Kitchen had been scheduled to open in November, but a manager at the Pinecrest location said today that delays have pushed the opening back to April. A Boca Raton and a Plantation location are scheduled to open in 2012. Energy Kitchen signs filled vacant space this past week.
Leone expects 25 franchises in Florida and 1,000 around the country, including D.C., Texas, Illinois, and Colorado, reported the South Florida Business Journal.
Energy Kitchen, 31 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale.
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