Fast Food Options

The other day I was in Arby's. My son ordered his usual Arby's melt. I was short on time and knew I possibly had to eat mine in the car. So, I was looking for an option that:

• I could hold in one hand
• did not contain a lot of white bread
• was not fried
• was not choked full of calories
• had some taste to it.

I chose the new pecan chicken salad in a wrap. It was made with chicken, grapes, lettuce, and pecans. It could have been quite tasty. The problem was that the chicken salad was soaked in a mayonnaise based sauce. I found it disgusting.

In trying to choose healthier foods, I avoid eating much mayonnaise and fatty salad dressing. The next time, I will order this wrap without the mayonnaise (if I can).

In my disappointment in trying to find a decent alternative to fast food lunch, I started thinking about the business opportunities and how a fast food establishment could offer healthy alternatives to existing products.

Examples:

• A pecan-grape chicken salad made with low-fat version mayonnaise using half as much as the Arby's pecan-grape chicken salad. This could be sold on a bed of lettuce, whole wheat bread, whole wheat wrap, and other breads.
• A grilled chicken biscuit made like Chick-fil-a's chicken and biscuit, except the chicken is grilled.
• A grilled chicken, egg and cheese breakfast burrito made like Chick-fil-a burrito, except the chicken is grilled.
• A grilled chicken wrap on a whole wheat wrap with low-fat ranch, low-fat southwest ranch, or low-fat honey-mustard dressing--available on the side.
• An egg McMuffin with low-fat cheese.
• Instead of fried chicken fingers, like Zappy's, grilled chicken fingers.
• McAllisters and Panera Bread have some great dishes, but would much better if they would offer half sizes (even if I paid more than half).
• Half portions of any fast food choices. Even if they are not healthy, less will mean fewer calories.

My favorite casual dining food options currently are:

• Sonic Southwestern salad at Sonic.
• Black and bleau grilled chicken salad at Zappys with no dressing.
• Grilled steak (or chicken) Sammies at Quiznos. Each for $2. I order only 1.
• Locally, I eat Breezeway and order grilled chicken salad with no dressing or Salisto turkey sandwich made with no mayonnaise on wheat bread, but I don't eat all the bread.
• Applebees Southwest Salad--half size. Applebees has some other dishes that are low calories that I like as well.

There are many other options that dining establishments could offer. I am wondering if a restaurant took the approach that they would offer healthy meals as their brand. They could even have a few unhealthy choices, but the mainstay would be healthy offerings. I am thinking this would make for a great business. Am I the only one who thinks a restaurant could make it with a healthy offering?