February 1, 2008

Zamba Chicken, a new entrant in the hot, “Fast Casual” dining segment featuring fire grilled chicken, has launched its first restaurant location in Westfield, New Jersey. The company will be launching an aggressive expansion throughout the tri-state area later this year.

Zamba Chicken offers freshly prepared food made from premium ingredients featuring fire-grilled Zamba Spices, all in an appealing environment. The signature menu item is the “Zamba Chicken” which is cooked in an open style, fired grill. The restaurants’ colorful interior looks to an open kitchen where cooks grill chicken, steak, ribs and fish as well as chop salads nearby- adding an element of entertainment combined with warm and welcoming service and a comfortable atmosphere. Latin music is featured as customers can watch as their orders are being assembled. Zamba Chicken also offers a full range of catering services.

“Zamba Chicken was created because we saw a definite weakness in both the fast food and fast casual markets,” said John Gennaro, founder and president of Zamba Chicken. “Our goal was to create a product that featured Fire Grilled Chicken but to also provide customers with a complete package of terrific food, pricing and experience.”

The slow version of fast food - referred to as the fast-casual category - is the segment of the industry that shows the most potential even as other chains are being pinched by a softer economy, analysts said. These restaurants have limited or self-service formats, an average meal price of about $8, made-to-order food and an upscale feel.

For the year ended November, 2007, meals bought at U.S. fast-casual outlets rose 12 per cent from the same period a year earlier, according to market researcher NPD Group.

This sector is doing well, there’s great growth opportunity,” said Douglas Fisher, president of food service consultancy FHG International in Toronto.

“The more service you provide and the healthier the food - that is where the market is going and going to continue to go.”

Apparently, the “fast-casual” concept is succeeding everywhere.

Technomic, the leading authority on chain restaurant data, reported that the segment did $15 billion in sales in 2006. That sales figure represented 14 percent overall growth in the U.S. in 2006, as compared to just 6 percent for the chain restaurant industry at large.

The fast-casual dining segment is led by companies such as Chipotle Mexican Grill and Panera Bread Company and caters to customers who desire the convenience of a fast-food chain and are willing to pay a premium for higher quality, differentiated menu items.

Why Westfield?
“We looked at Westfield’s demographics combined with the existing restaurants in the area and quickly realized that the town would represent an ideal location for us to use as a base for future growth,” said co-founder Steven Haase. “Initial feedback from customers has been terrific and moving forward, we will be involved with numerous Westfield community organizations and events to strengthen our reach throughout the area.”

Zamba Chicken’s growth for 2008 will focus on New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.