Exotic tastes, familiar brands

'Friends who'd never had garlic'
In St. Louis, restauranteur Harinder Singh expanded his India's Rasoi sit-down locations with two cafeteria-style Curry In a Hurry shops. Since most Indian dishes are time-intensive, Singh emulated successful Chinese food-court anchors like Panda Express: His shops prepare dishes in advance and serve them up combo-style. In just three hours a day, his downtown lunch-only location clears $300,000 annually.

"I grew up in St. Louis, and I had friends who'd never had garlic in their life," Singh says. "If we have a concept that can fly in a conservative town like St. Louis, we feel that any of these concepts could do well in other cities."

Singh expanded by buying a local Italian food company, bolstering the product line with ready-to-eat Indian dishes like chicken tikka masala and lamb korma. The new venture will service both his own restaurants and food-service outlets like corporate cafeterias, to say nothing of supermarket shelves.

All of which signals that samosas and curries have entered the mainstream, as they did in England long ago. Within five years, Singh predicts, "you will see something comparble to P.F. Chang's, the Indian version."

In a way, that's already happened. Well-known casual chains have adopted what Balzer calls "variations on existing themes": new spices and presentations for American staples like chicken breasts and noodles.

Look no further than Cheesecake Factory's chicken chipotle pasta.  Or teriyaki bowls and tortilla soup at Red Robin's 250-plus locations. Or California Pizza Kitchen's Thai chicken pie. And Outback Steakhouse recently paired with P.F. Chang's co-founder Paul Fleming to open Paul Lee's Chinese Kitchen, a mid-scale take on the P.F. Chang's formula.

At the same time, casual Mexican chains are gaining on Italian. On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina, the category leader built by Chili's owned Brinker International, averages $2.9 million in annual sales at each of 131 locations.

A hybrid option
But "fast casual" restaurants -- the grey zone between Taco Bell and white tablecloths -- may be the real winners. Mexican is a big winner here too, helped by some deep-pocketed parents: Baja Fresh (Wendy's), Chipotle (McDonald's) and Qdoba Mexican Grill (Jack In The Box).

Asian's sizzling, too. Nguyen's shops can serve a hot bowl of pho within five minutes. Chains like Big Bowl Asian Kitchen and Mama Fu's Asian House entice on-the-go eaters.

Mama Fu's, owned by Atlanta's Raving Brands, is growing this year from 23 mostly East Coast locations to a projected 40 nationwide.

For Mama Fu's, Raving Brands invoked its expertise with casual brands like Moe's Southwest Grille and Planet Smoothie. The concept: fast, easy food with exotic flavors in dishes that skirt even nervous diners' ick factors, whisked to your table as '80s hits like Murray Head's "One Night in Bangkok" throb in the background.

Obviously, authenticity isn't the goal. Raving executive vice president Darin Kraesch considers Fu's menu of Thai coconut soup and beef curry rolls "a greatest-hits album" of Asian dishes.  Even the name telegraphs its hybrid nature: a splash of Szechuan and a dash of Dixie.

"It's not a traditional, Golden Buddha, fire-breathing dragon environment," Kraesch says. "We're trying to give them a little bit of both worlds."

After many of P.F. Chang's outlets were swamped with takeout business, to the point dedicated staff and phone lines were needed, the company decided to branch out.  Its Pei Wei Asian Diner, now in 55 locations throughout the Southwest, serves takeout customers and those who want Chang's-style grub without the wait.

And the food? Lovers of authentic Chinese might grumble.  But traditional or not, most patrons probably are fine with the fact that Chang's lettuce wraps are filled with chicken.

"We didn't think pigeon would work in the United States," Says Federico.

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