subway, chipotle...what else?

[Sweetum]

I eat out on at least 3 days of the week. I end up with either subway or chipotle. But I am really bored. I obviously do not do mcD or BK, wondering where else I could get reasonably good food (similar to subway and chipotle) and go fast through the process of getting it. ideas?

[georgiegirl]

Panera?

Where do you live?

[Twoboos]

Panera comes to mind. I agree, it's hard to find something decent and relatively fast.

[carolinacool]

I don't know where you are, but what about Panera (http://www.panerabread.com/) or McAlister's (http://www.mcalistersdeli.com/)? They are both sandwich and salad places, but might be regional (I live in NC). You place your order, and then it usually takes about 5 or 10 minutes to get your food. Average price for a meal and drink is about $10. I'm not a huge fan of Panera, but I have friends who love it. I much prefer McAlister's.

ETA: See, two Panera votes already. LOL

[YouAreTheFocus]

Do you have a soup place? We have a local soup chain, it was one of my go-to places for a quick healthy lunch.

[BabyBearsMom]

Do you have Corner Bakery, Pot Belly Sandwiches, or Perfect Pita? Those are favorites of mine. I love going to this hole in the wall Pho place not far from where I work. Pho is so yummy. I also pick up lunch at Whole Foods a lot.

[georgiegirl]

If you are in Southern California, I highly recommend Sharkey's.

I have friends who like Jimmy John's (which is sandwiches) and Noodles & Co.

[Tondi G]

Corner Bakery, Daphney's (Greek), Baja Fresh (Mexican), The Flame Broiler (teriyaki chicken rice bowls), Mendocino farms (sandwiches/soups/salads), Jersey Mikes (sandwiches).

[Melaine]

Do you have any non-franchise sandwich shops? I also suggest Panera, Atlanta Bread, Tropical Smoothie.

[Pennylane]

Jason's deli is one of my favorites!

Ann

[Giantbear]

Cosi, Quizznos or panera come to mind, but knowing where you live would help

[BabbyO]

Jimmy Johns, Potbelly's, and Noodles are faves around here, but Noodles is a bit more expensive (depending on what you get) and around here you can wait for a bit. BUT you can also pre-order online with noodles...so that can save you!

I also want to throw a bone out for your local deli....check out local places. One of my favorites is a local market that has a little deli section and Friday cookout throughout the summer! (the Deli is open year round).

[DietCokeLover]

Huge fan of McAlister's here. Also, Jimmy John's is good. You can order any of their sandwiches in a lettuce wrap instead of on bread.

[waitingforgrace]

Have you looked on yelp? Might find some new places. And just to throw it out there McD does have some decent options, I like their grilled mcwraps.

[Binkandabee]

A favorite of mine has become the made daily sushi from my local grocery store deli. It's not a drive through, but with the express checkout, its very easy to get in and out quickly.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I'm all about non chains too (though we do hit up Panera and such too). Urban spoon is my favorite app. We were just on vacation and needed somewhere to eat but were in the land of strip malls. I pulled out my app and ate at a great, fresh, farm to table type place instead. Never would have found it as it was off the main road.

[AnnieW625]

Not a huge fan of large chains either. I have never eaten at a Panera Bread or a Jersey Mikes (although this chain is fairly new to California). I have been to Corner Bakery a few times, but I think it is over priced. I like Wahoo's Fish Tacos way more than Chipotle, but it is more of a regional chain. I also like The Habit, but again that is more of a regional chain.

I tend to go to the two delis next to my work.

[army_mom]

Panera, Bread Co, McAllisters, Jason's Deli, Jimmy Johns (I like way better than Subway), Sweet Tomatoes

Also a lot of our local grocery stores have really nice soup/salad bars inside for a quick take out option. Some have sandwich makers inside as well.

[carolinacool]

Yeah, there are a lot of non-chain places I like around here, too. But I find that if I'm in a bit of a hurry, They tend to be a bit slower than the chains. It just depends on how much time I have. Definitely not subway quick. LOL

[crayonblue]

I found a local bagel place that makes fantastic sandwiches. I often go for a veggie on an everything bagel. Other than that place, we do lots of Subway and Chipotle too. I also really like the black bean burger at Smashburger.

[Sweetum]

I ended up eating Chipotle that day. I am trying to eat gluten free but looks like it's near to impossible when eating out esp fast food. I am also staying off meat for sometime so it's hard to feel full with salads. Anyways, thanks all for all the suggestions. It definitely opens up more options for me but I may have to compromise on my eating style.

[hillview]

whole foods or other nicer grocery stores often have good stuff

[mommylamb]

I work in DC, and the big thing right now are food trucks, which I do frequently. There are alway about 7-10 options that change each day- anything from Korean bulgogi tacos to Ethiopian to meza all out of a truck. So yummy. But if I'm doing a fast food chain, I like chopt an Roti the best.

[twowhat?]

Jimmy Johns is a favorite around here too - the bread is just delicious. Potbelly is also pretty good.

[jenmcadams]

Colorado has more fast casual restaurants than any where I've ever lived. A lot of those types of places seem to get their start here (e.g. Noodles, Chipotle). A couple of others that we have are Tokyo Joe's (sushi, rice bowls, super awesome), Qdoba (basically like Chipotle), ModMarket, and Garbanzo's (mediterranean food)