Simplicity helped Mario Laufer build Carrot Express into a healthy-eating empire, growing from a lunch counter inside a Texaco gas station on Alton Road to a clean-eating staple across South Florida and New York.
He hopes its simplicity will take the brand to new heights as the chain becomes just “Carrot,” dropping “Express” for a name the owner said better reflects what the restaurant has become.
“We looked at the name and realized… it just didn’t fit anymore,” Laufer tells New Times. “Plus, let’s be real, ‘express’ just feels rushed and stressful… When honestly we’ve always been about quality, made-to-order food.”
For a restaurant with a menu ranging from avocado toast and fresh salads to the “Chicken Goddess Ciabatta,” a freshly fried, panko-crusted chicken sandwich piled with mozzarella, tomato, red onion, and citrus honey mustard slaw, the “Express” label could seem a bit limiting for the Miami-based chain…