There’s been a lot of buzz in the industry over Tom Colicchio’s new concept, 'Wichcraft.  It’s the first foray into the fast casual market for the Food Network star and celebrity chef.  His name is also tied to the upscale Craft Steakhouse concepts (one of which closed down in the Atlanta market in the past year or so).

The restaurant brokers were anxious to try this latest fast casual concept after reading about it in the industry trade.  We are always comparing our restaurant for sale listings to new concepts and working to stay up to date.  We went in with a pre-conceived notion based on what we’ve read that the sandwiches and salads had an organic and healthy approach and we were not disappointed.  Roasted chicken on Tuscan kale, cannellini bean puree and mozzarella as a sandwich, along with and Aged Gruyere sandwich with roasted onions or the chickpeas, roasted peppers, green olives, lemon & organic mixed greens are only a part of the choices.    

Both of the reestaurant brokers went for chickpea options with Eric trying the sandwich while I went for the chickpea salad.   My salad was lightly pre-dressed with and also included a side dressing.  I didn’t need the dressing as the flavors were wonderful with a great bright lemony burst and the strong dense chick pea flavor which was integrated in the dish two ways, first as whole cooked chickpeas and secondly as a hummus like (but not quick as smooth, more chunky) mixture on top.  The flavors were great and the experience was a good one.  The greens were accompanied by lemon sliced super thin and red peppers as well. 

Eric tried the Chickpea sandwich.  It was also quite good.  Eric’s only complaint was that it came served on white sourdough type bread.  He asked to substitute with a more healthy whole grain variety and was told that no bread substitutions were allowed as the specific bread was made for the sandwiches.  That was quite unusual in our experience, particularly in a fast casual sandwich concept.  All the players ranging from Which Wich to Panera offer a choice of bread.  We’re not certain if this is limited to this Las Vegas franchisee (Located inside the MGM) or if this is a system wide policy but we’ll check to find out.

The food was served quickly and was fresh with the entire in and out experience taking very little time, a great testament to good process and training since that’s the goal of fast casual restaurants.  We were disappointed that no calorie counts were available, either on the menu board, the paper menus or by request of the cashier who took our order.  For a restaurant that leans towards the healthier, organic side of things, we felt this was a big miss.  Our lifestyle certainly requires that we know the protein, carb and fat mix of what we’re eating along with what we are spending those precious calories on. Luckily, we restaurant brokers always have a backup plan and in this case, it’s one of the best aps we’ve ever used called My Fitness Pal.  This is the largest online community of people tracking their weight, calories and exercise online that we’ve encountered and best of all, the database of foods is beyond extensive. 

In a flash, we told My Fitness Pal we wanted to add “Wichcraft chick pea” to our lunch profile and up popped the calories and nutritional information.  If you’re keeping track, my salad was 500 calories (though I can’t be sure if that’s with dressing or without) and Eric’s Chickpea sandwich was 550.  Those counts are on the high side of what I would typically slot for lunch but luckily for us, were among the lowest calorie choices and worth it for the flavor profiles.  By the way, once we were seated we were able to find most of the menu choices preloaded on My Fitness Pal.  

All in all, WichCraft is a keeper for the restaurant brokers with great flavors, fast service and a unique sandwich experience.  Now if they will only fix that bread choice thing.

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