I love all the new fast casual restaurants that have hit the market. It is great to be able to just stand in line and get a decent meal without breaking the bank.
One big problem with fast casual is that most fast casual stores, like Panda Express, are owned by big corporations. I would love to see mom and pop style stores adopting the fast casual format.
As it stands, most of the mom and pop restaurants that I would like to frequent still have the sit down format and require the huge tips.
Oddly, cooks who want to serve good food to the people have started hitting the street with food trucks.
IMHO, the expectation of a 20% tip hurts everyone. I would rather see restaurants charging enough to pay their salaries or adopt the fast casual format if labor is too expensive.
Agreed on all counts, though where I love there are a lot of deli or bistro style places that are independently owned that I’d call Fast Casual. I do love some of the chains though!