Boston Children’s Hospital
Segment: Health care
Unit: 1
HQ: Boston
Hook: At the new Chef’s Playground inside the hospital’s Fresh Food Court cafeteria, guests take a seat at an open-air action station to interact with the chefs while they make meals to order. All the equipment is situated so the chefs face the guests while they cook. How can you make your foodservice more interactive?
Sweetgreen
Segment: Fast casual
HQ: Washington, D.C.
Units: 30
Hook: Founded in 2007 by friends who wanted to make healthy food affordable, fun and delicious, Sweetgreen expands on the Chipotle format with salads, soups and grain bowls such as the Harvest Bowl with wild rice, roasted chicken, kale, apples, sweet potatoes, toasted almonds and goat cheese.
The Market
Segment: C-store
HQ: Charlottesville, Va.
Units: 7
Hook: Run by Tiger Fuel Co., The Market calls itself “America’s first gourmet gas station,” and proves it with items such as the Montpelier—a roast beef and cheddar sandwich with horseradish mayo on French bread. The Market at Bellair is a favorite of University of Virginia students and has been lauded in Bon Appetit magazine.
Farmer’s Fridge
Segment: Vending
Units: 14
HQ: Chicago
Hook: Launched in 2013, Farmer’s Fridge promises to revolutionize vending with the creation of machines that dispense fresh, high-quality salads, oatmeal and more. It’s now poised to revolutionize c-store vending as the startup enters four 7-Eleven stores in downtown Chicago. Think of it as Redbox for greens.
Toppers Pizza
Segment: Quick service
Units: 67
HQ: Whitewater, Wis.
Hook: No. 29 on the Restaurant Business Future 50 (see Pieology for No. 1), Toppers has held its own against the pizza behemoths by opening locations near college campuses, relying on social media to reach those students and keeping the menu exciting with pies topped with mac and cheese and tater tots.
Pieology Pizzeria
Segment: Fast casual
HQ: Santa Margarita, Calif.
Units: 42
Hook: The fastest-growing small restaurant chain in the United States, according to Restaurant Business, Pieology peddles individually sized pizzas baked in less than three minutes in an open-flame, stone-deck oven. For $7.95, customers pick a dough and sauce, then proceed down the line to choose from about 30 toppings.
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