Scene by Laurie

4food, a new and refreshing restaurant, is coming to NYC to start a fast food revolution. Opening September 7 at Madison and 40th, 4food will open new doors for New Yorkers in three unique and friendly ways: they’ll offer healthy fast food, they’ll be a truly green operation, and they’ll engage customers to contribute to their de-junk mission in meaningful ways.

Healthy Menu
Their food is made from local, natural ingredients. Meat is from humanely raised, vegetarian fed animals. Poultry and fish are hormone and antibiotic free. Their signature menu item is the “W(hole)burger”, a de-junked hamburger (beef, lamb, pork, turkey, veggie, salmon or egg patty) with a healthy twist: a hole in the middle is taken out and filled with one of their 25 vegetable options, called Veggiescoops. The holes will be sold separately with Veggiescoops sides for an even healthier sans bun option.

To ensure healthy menus and quality products 4food business contributors include Bill Niman of Niman Ranch, the largest US natural meats purveyor and Dr. Woodson Merrill, Beth Israel Center for Integrated Medicine founder and recognized wellness and nutrition authority.

Green Operations
Part of their mission is to lessen their carbon footprint and to ensure a de-junked NYC by having a green operation. According to their website natural materials were used to build the restaurant, they’ll be able to compost waste on site, they’ll use LED lighting and purchase renewable energy.

Customer Engagement Through Social Media
Customers will have the ability to create and name their own dish or sandwich using an online application. Every time someone else orders your creation 4food will give you an in store credit. Given the craze today for sharing food reviews and pictures through all the social media tools – foursquare, yelp, facebook, twitter, etc, 4food has a built in marketing plan from the people who will spread the word about their own creations as they try to have friends in their social networks order them. Not only will engaging people in the product development process provide significant no-cost advertising and promotion, it has the promise of recruiting more healthy eaters in NYC.

I can’t wait to visit and am already thinking of the Scene by Laurie burger. I wonder how McDonald’s across the street is going to fare.