Good Eats at Zoës Kitchen

Written By Donald Saltmarsh-Lubin ‘16

Published December 2014

Zoës Kitchen signature Power Plate of
grilled chicken, caramelized onion and slaw.
Photo Courtesy of Donald Saltmarsh-Lubin ‘16

College students often look for a few simple things when considering off-campus dining options: low-cost, fast service, and proximity to campus, with an increasing number of students also interested in healthy options. With many healthy options to choose from and quick service, all available in a ten-minute drive from campus, the fast-casual dining chain Zoës Kitchen meets all of these criteria and more. Zoës serves Mediterranean-inspired salads, sandwiches, and entrée options that maximize the use of fresh ingredients. First opening in the suburbs of Birmingham, Alabama in 1995, this trendy chain rapidly expanded to over 130 locations operating today.  The recent Lynchburg location opened in 2013 in the Fresh Market shopping center.

At the restaurant, diners order at the counter and seat themselves, with food served to the table. The colorful décor, ample number of booths and tables to choose from, and a quiet atmosphere the evening we went,  made for a pleasant meal. The menu is the perfect size: not so large as to overwhelm, but expansive enough that it caters to a variety of tastes. The entrées are larger portions and are stand-alone dishes while the sandwiches are served with a side of your choice, including: braised white beans, rice pilaf, seasonal fresh fruit, roasted vegetables, or potato salad, just to name some of the options.

The food was served in under five minutes, but my dining companion and I opted to start with a hummus and pita appetizer that boasted a generous serving of hummus and warm pita bread triangles. It was an excellent start to the meal, whetting our appetites for our main courses, and when they arrived, we were not disappointed. The Protein Power Plate was one of the simpler and healthier options for an entrée selection that offered a variety of kabobs along with pita pizzas and roll-ups, four mini-wraps of chicken, steak, or spjnach served with salsa for dipping. My order, The Power Plate, included grilled chicken, caramelized onion and “slaw” that was primarily composed of shredded lettuce and a light dressing, and though uncomplicated, it was healthy and filling, only costing $8. The pimento cheese sandwich was served on rye bread with roasted vegetables as the side and was bursting with flavor, a great option for vegetarians and also substantial and healthy. To finish our meal we tried the chocolate cake and a chocolate chip cookie, but both were rather unimpressive: the cake slightly dry and the cookie rather ordinary. It was a slight let-down to an otherwise very satisfying meal, but Zoës still made up for the poor close to our meal with the satisfaction we had with other portions.

According to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, in 2009 Lynchburg was ranked as the third most obese metro area in the United States; thus, healthier restaurants like Zoës opening here takes a step in the right direction, offering healthy entrees with the convenience and fast service that makes fast food appealing. This exemplifies the success of the fast-casual business model in recent years, trending towards fresh ingredients with a focus on service and healthy options. For those of us that don’t want the traditional options of greasy and unhealthy fast food, this new eating culture should be embraced and encouraged as a more responsible business trend, saving our time, our wallets, and our midriffs.