It recently came to our attention that a new restaurant in Plano is serving lobster rolls for 10 bucks. Albeit skeptical, it definitely got our attention.
Angie’s is a fast-casual chain serving Maine lobster rolls and fresh-caught seafood. It aims to be a chain disruptor, cutting out middlemen and making luxury food available to everyone in utilitarian dining rooms. Angie’s owns a wharf in Maine where it buys lobster directly from boats, processes lobsters in its own facility, allowing the company to pass savings through to customers. A-plus on the mission and marketing, but would the food measure up?
Angie’s is based in Arizona (naturally) with 20 locations, 18 of which are in the Grand Canyon State. They believe they have created a hyper-efficient workflow that relies on a small staff (saving labor dollars), allowing the menu to remain affordable. Did we mention they have a drive-thru?
The Menu
At first glance, the menu has a lot to it: lobster rolls served either warm or cold, warm snow crab rolls, fried cod, chicken strips, fried shrimp sandwiches and grilled protein offerings as well. For the grill items, you pick your protein (steak, shrimp, chicken or falafel) and then choose the format, which can be a warm bowl, a salad or a burrito. With each format, you can choose a preset style with different ingredients or build your own. A wide range of customization options is available for all styles.
Sounds amazing, right? Another leg of the cost-saving strategy here is to ask the customers to do their part. Patrons are asked to order online or at in-store kiosks, grab their own drinks and clean their space after eating…