Yum! Brands branches out in Asian flavors by opening the first location of their Vietnamese-themed restaurant, Banh Shop, in Dallas on Friday.
The company behind KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell experiments how the market will receive the Vietnamese street food-themed restaurant with another one slated to open later this month near the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
Banh Shop opened Friday at SMU Boulevard in Dallas. Included in the menu are 8 kinds of banh mi sandwiches and other dishes with South East Asian flavors. Christophe Poirier, the company's emerging brands division's VP, said banh mi can rival the pizza or the burger, and regard the sandwich as part of the big trend.
The experimental brand cashes on the trend Millennials are keeping alive. "We're right at the cross section of Millennials' expectations for fresh ingredients and the big trend of Southeast Asian cuisine." said Poirier.
Banh mi is a Vietnamese sandwich using French baguette with meat or tofu and various vegetables. The Banh Shop's menu includes flavors to attract the American market with concepts such as Grilled Pork Meatball, The American, and Grilled Steak & Egg sandwiches. Other Vietnamese street food like spring rolls and noodles. Prices are a bit steeper than other Yum! chains as the price starts from $7.
Analysts said that the Banh Shop is created to rival Chipotle's Shop House, a South East Asian-inspired restaurant. It now has eight locations in Los Angeles and DC. Priorier said that they conceptualized the theme of their fast food chain from a blank slate and didn't base it from competitors.
The Vietnamese-inspired chain joins the rising trend in fast casual, in which restaurants offer customizable menu with ingredients of higher quality than the usual fast food chains like McDonald's and KFC. Prices are higher as well, but still lower than sit-down restaurants.
When asked if there will be more Banh Shop stores soon, Poirier said that they're more focused on the managing the current store and taking care of the customers preferences.
