As with Rumbi, Cafe Rio, et al, the out-of-state chains are continuing their invasion of Orange County. There's now word that a Canadian chain called Freshii has just signed a deal to open 30 locations of itself in Orange County over the next six years. There are currently 16 units in Chicago and Toronto.
So, what is Freshii?
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It looks to be a health-leaning fast food chain with build-your-own salads, wraps, bowls and burritos, done via a Chipotle-like assembly line.
But what I'm most impressed by is their the custom menu on their website. It lets you pick and choose from a list of ingredients you want in your lunch and then it tallies up the nutrional info of what you've built. Fat, calories, are summed up instantly in a standardized FDA label on the side.
I have no idea if the food is any good, but this alone, is brilliant.
Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, Edwin Goei went by the alias “elmomonster” on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.