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attack of the fast-casual chains!

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spicy pickleThe curiously-named Spicy Pickle restaurant will soon steamroll through Downtown. Three locations planned in the neighborhood will mark the Denver-based franchise’s entrance into the Southern California market. The exact locations of the three stores have yet to be disclosed.

The unnamed franchisee “was an owner of two local nightclubs” and is “very familiar with the neighborhood where the restaurants will be located, which is bounded by Interstate 10, the 110 and the 101 and Grand Avenue including the area around the Staples Center and the Convention Center.”

Spicy Pickle is another “fast-casual” — code for “lunch only”? — chain that will offer office workers more noontime food options. Their simple menu offers standard paninis, subs, pizzetti, salads and soups.

The company touts its “high quality meats and fine artisan breads, baked fresh daily, along with a wide choice of eight different cheeses, twenty-two different toppings, and fourteen proprietary spreads.” What, no pickle variety?

This latest entrant follows over half a dozen smaller and high-profile chains that are exploding onto the Downtown scene: Famima!!, Johnny Rockets, Robeks Juice, Samurai Sam’s, Great Steak and Potato Company, Coldstone Creamery, Pastagina and now Cantaloop.

Does Downtown need to be more picky, or should we just take what we can get?

Check out these related posts:

  1. ’slow food fast’ to hit fashion district
  2. fast food pasta chain makes its way to south park
  3. hoagies & wings brings ‘gourmet fast food’ to broadway
  4. urban partners fast-tracking university gateway

13 comments

1 e; { 01.16.08 at 4:30 pm }

To be fair, Great Steak and Potato lost its Downtown location when the Roosevelt started construction, so they’re really more a move than a new chain.

2 buzz { 01.16.08 at 4:32 pm }

i’d say welcome to the pickle if they stayed open until at least 9p and had weekend hours - otherwise, as a resident who works elsewhere, it’s just another shuttered storefront with a funny name.

fourteen proprietary spreads?

3 Rich Alossi { 01.16.08 at 4:34 pm }

Well, they’ve got a relatively new location in the 505 Flower mall and a new one coming to Spring Street, so I’d say that’s an expansion.

And if I replaced “Great Steak & Potato Company” with “Sbarro” in the post above, we’ve got the same concept.

4 buzz { 01.16.08 at 4:35 pm }

ok, to be fair, i just checked out the website and it looks like it could be a tasty little joint - so long as it’s open when i’m around.

5 e; { 01.16.08 at 7:11 pm }

Actually, you’re right. I knew Kahala had done a bunch of their “concepts” in City National Plaza, but I thought their philly cheese steak one was a knock off. I didn’t realize they owned Great Steak & Potato. So yeah, they’re adding one.

6 celia { 01.16.08 at 10:29 pm }

so there will be three spicy pickles downtown? aren’t there three pastaginas planned for downtown as well? that’s one spicy pickle for each ‘gina!

7 lovers { 01.17.08 at 7:14 am }

i’d say welcome to the pickle if they stayed open until at least 9p and had weekend hours - otherwise, as a resident who works elsewhere, it’s just another shuttered storefront with a funny name. so there will be three spicy pickles downtown? aren’t there three pastaginas planned for downtown as well? that’s one spicy pickle for each ‘gina!

And if I replaced “Great Steak & Potato Company” with “Sbarro” in the post above, we’ve got the same concept.

8 Chico Marx { 01.17.08 at 7:55 am }

This downtown, she starta to look so good witha that nice-a pair of cantaloops!

9 David Kennedy { 01.17.08 at 10:44 am }

I like where celia is going with this. I look forward to the spicy details.

10 celia { 01.17.08 at 3:54 pm }

hey lovers, i agree with you. although i say welcome to the pickle all the time, i usually feel like a spicy pickle after 9pm and on weekends.

11 Scott Mercer { 01.18.08 at 6:57 am }

About the only thing we have in this line is Daily Grill, or maybe the Weiland Brewery. People make fun of them, but I certainly would like an Applebee’s downtown, or a Chili’s.

12 celia { 01.18.08 at 11:29 am }

scott, people don’t make fun of the restaurants themselves. they make fun of the people who go to to them.

13 Jonnie { 01.18.08 at 1:35 pm }

Celia your a dream come true….. :-) if you like spicy pickles… 8>>>

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