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    LYFE's Simple Pleasures

    LYFE Kitchen rides healthy restaurant wave washing over Dallas

    Teresa Gubbins
    Mar 27, 2014 | 3:04 pm
    • LYFE Kitchen is the latest "healthy" restaurant concept to hit Dallas-FortWorth.
      Photo by Divine Shots Photography
    • LYFE still believes in indulgence.
      LYFE Kitchen/Facebook
    • LYFE Kitchen will have wines on tap.
      Photo courtesy of LYFE Kitchen

    Dallas seems to be the new destination for "healthy" restaurants, with a new chain called LYFE Kitchen about to join an already-busy scene. LYFE will open three area locations in the coming months: Plano, Preston Center and West Village.

    LYFE is an acronym for "Love Your Food Everyday," and it's a fast-casual concept where everything on the menu is 600 calories or less. It was launched in 2011 by a group of food industry veterans, including Oprah Winfrey personal chef Art Smith and former McDonald's executives Michael Donahue and Mike Roberts.

    "We're not preachy," says co-founder Michael Donahue. "We want you to have a great-tasting meal."

    There are currently four branches: the original in Palo Alto, two in Southern California and one in Chicago.

    Signature dishes include edamame hummus, corn chowder, kale Caesar salad and a Gardein "chicken" version of Art Smith's famous fried chicken. The menu features grass-fed beef, a gluten-free menu, and numerous vegan options created by noted vegan chef Tal Ronnen. His creations include a teriyaki bowl with Gardein "beef tips" and a creamy corn chowder.

    The first DFW location is scheduled to open June 7 at 1900 Preston Rd. in Plano. The Preston Center branch has a June 21 opening date; the West Village restaurant is slated to open mid-July.

    LYFE follows Seasons 52, which came to the Dallas area in 2010, and True Food Kitchen, which opened in Preston Center in fall 2013. LYFE Kitchen co-founder Michael Donahue says that Dallas, despite its reputation for steakhouses, met a few key parameters.

    "We use a sophisticated real estate process, but the three locations in Texas all fit our screens," he says. "We hope to have 250 branches in five years, but you have to start where you believe you have the most chance of success.

    "In the three Dallas locations, the consumer is active, and the community has a lot going on. For example, the one in Plano is by a Whole Foods and a Trader Joe's, so there's synergy."

    The "healthy" restaurant wave seems to rebuff the tendency among consumers who say they want to eat healthy but then in practice make unhealthy choices.

    Compared to competitors such as True Food Kitchen, LYFE is quite a bit cheaper, with a dish like barramundi clocking in at $12.99.

    "Consumers have been asking for this for a long time," Donahue says. "There are billions of dollars spent on food that is healthy, but it's not a one-stop shop, whether it's Whole Foods or Jenny Craig."

    But Donahue says that LYFE accomplishes one simple thing: The food tastes good.

    "We spent a year on a taste quest with the king of Southern cooking, Art Smith," he says. "He's known for his fried chicken, mac and cheese, but also for working with Oprah providing the turkey meat loaf she used to love. He had gone through his own transformation. He lost 100-some pounds."

    They devised recipes that had flavor without using butter, cream or sodium, and they tested the food in focus groups, primarily "women and moms," Donahue says. Another big part of their approach is to go soft-sell.

    "I think people are more open to something when it's warm and inviting," he says. "We're not preachy. We want you to have a great-tasting meal.

    "But we believe in indulgence. We have a chocolate budini mousse dessert; it's a fluffy chocolate mousse that's under 200 calories. We have burgers and steak, but they're grass-fed."

    They may not be preachy, but they follow a "wellness" approach to everything they do, from seeking out biodynamic wine and serving wine on tap to recycling and using recycled products. "We think about that with every decision we make," Donahue says.

    Although he prefers to play down his McDonald's background, some of that company's practices surface. "Our serving times are 10 minutes," he says. "We're creating a new category that's somewhere between fast food and fast casual."

    Compared to competitors such as True Food Kitchen, LYFE is quite a bit cheaper, with a dish like barramundi clocking in at $12.99. Another big difference between LYFE and its competitors comes in the area of transparency. Tracking down figures on calories and sodium at True Food Kitchen is a challenge, while LYFE posts its information.

    "The idea is bring non-believers in," Donahue says. "People are so used to their routines. But LYFE is unique, and that's what a lot of people love about it."

    unspecified
    news/restaurants-bars

    Restaurant News Roundup Time

    H-E-B supermarket opens in Melissa and more Dallas restaurant news

    Raven Jordan
    May 15, 2025 | 7:41 pm
    H-E-B Melissa
    H-E-B
    New H-E-B Melissa store

    It's May, a time of the year when CultureMap's twice-monthly restaurant news roundup gets a little sleepy, and this May is no exception. This roundup might have fewer items than usual, but they are still must-reads: openings, closings, and even a few delinquent spring menus just being introduced.

    Here's what's happening right now in Dallas restaurant news:

    H-E-B the supermarket chain has opened a location in Melissa at 1230 Central Expy., at the northeast corner of US-75 and Sam Rayburn Hwy 121. The store broke ground in December 2023, and at 136,000 square feet, it's a biggie, even by H-E-B's gargantuan standards. In addition to the staples that all H-E-B stores have — bakery making breads, cakes, and tortillas, big produce section, SushiYa sushi counter — Melissa has a few distinctive features including a two-level True Texas BBQ restaurant with drive-thru; a full-service H-E-B Pharmacy with drive-thru; and a fuel station with car wash. H-E-B Melissa joins seven other H-E-B stores and two Joe V’s Smart Shop locations that have opened in DFW.

    Piada Italian, an Italian street food chain, is now open at 9605 Coit Rd., #101 in Plano. This is the restaurant's second Plano location. They serve baked piada pockets, wraps, pasta bowls, and chopped salads. There are other Dallas locations in Lakewood, Frisco, McKinney, and Richardson.

    Banh Shop, the small Asian restaurant chain dedicated to the banh mi sandwich, has closed its "streetside" locations which include a location in Fort Worth at 3051 S. University Dr., and a location in Irving at 7601 N. MacArthur Blvd. #105. According to a spokesperson, there are five locations open, all in airports, with more airports to come.

    Keto Kitchen Creations, a meal prep store, is closing its Plano location on May 24. The shop was open for four years serving family-sized keto-friendly meals like stacked enchiladas, keto nuggets, cinnamon rolls, and lasagna, plus personal meal requests. Meals also catered to diets like gluten-free lifestyles. They'll continue accepting bulk meal prep orders, such as green beans or protein mac & cheese, until the last day of service.

    Panda Express, the quick-serve Asian chain, has brought back eggplant tofu at some DFW locations. The dish — featuring eggplant, tofu, and red bell peppers in a sweet and tangy brown sauce — has developed a cult following over the years, inspiring lots of copycat recipes as well as websites dedicated to finding every Panda Express location that offers it. It used to be a regular item, and was recently revived. There are 18 Panda Express locations in DFW, not all have it. Panda Express has dabbled previously in plant-based offerings, including its revered Orange Chicken, which it has more than once offered, with Beyond plant-based chicken.

    Cafe Dior by Dominique Crenn, the frou-frou restaurant at the Christian Dior boutique in Highland Park Village, has added afternoon tea. It comes with chicken salad sandwich, caviar & watercress choux, salmon gravlax crackers, hazelnut chocolate cookie, piña colada baba au rhum, and banana and sesame canelés, and is $75. But get this: The tea itself costs extra. So does champagne, which is $25 per glass. Reservations are available from 10 am-4:30 pm.

    Crown Block, the restaurant atop the Reunion Tower, has a new spring menu that includes oysters Rockefeller, burrata with rhubarb jam, scallop gratin, Westholme Wagyu strip loin, gnocchi pasta tossed in a lemon & basil pesto with English peas, asparagus, artichokes, & whipped ricotta, Lumina Australian lamb with Hatch chile Greek yogurt, cucumber sumac salad, and pretzel crusted onion rings, and spring roll sushi with avocado cream and fresh greens. Desserts include Baked Texas — a “Baked Alaska meets Strawberry Shortcake” filled with vanilla ice cream and strawberry sherbet, topped with toasted meringue — and Lizbeth’s basque cheesecake.

    Dive Coastal has a new spring menu with BBQ chicken salad, brisket Cuban sandwich, gazpacho, Egyptian spinach soup, tri-colored cauliflower, blackened pineapple shrimp skewers, jumbo crab cakes, Alaskan wild halibut, and wild mahi mahi. available throughout May.

    The Henry has new seasonal menu items including strawberry and watermelon salad, pressed yellowtail sushi, and wild caught bay scallops. These items are $20-$38.

    White Rhino has a nw menu for summer with strawberry pistachio matcha, the Strawberry Pistachio Latte, and the Pineapple Yuzu Matcha. They've also added a new line of energy drinks including The Avalanche, with almond, white chocolate, and vanilla; Matcha My Energy, with starfruit yellow flavor and a matcha float; and The O.J., a mix of orange juice, strawberry, and passionfruit. Summer drinks start at $5.50.

    Lazy Dog has a new frozen cocktail: the prickly pear sloshie. It's inspired by founder Chris Simms’ adventures in Wyoming, and blends Pantalones Organic Reposado Tequila, prickly pear purée, agave nectar sweet and sour, triple sec, and a salt rim. It's $15. Available for a limited time.

    Original Chop Shop is launching a new tikka masala chicken bowl with jasmine rice, grilled chicken, roasted veggies, kka masala sauce, green chutney, smoked almonds, and black currants. Available starting May 20.

    Wingstop has a new flavor on the menu: Mexican street spice. The Mexican street corn-inspired flavor is a dry rub featuring chili, paprika, chipotle, roasted garlic, lime, and parmesan cheese. The flavor can also be added to fried corn and fries.

    Golden Corral has three new sauces for chicken tenders during dinner including garlic buffalo, mango habanero, and honey mustard. Available at all Dallas locations through June 29.

    Golden Chick has a new sandwich on the menu: Pimento Crunchwich. The sandwich has fried chicken with pimento cheese spread, jalapeño crisps, and extra-thick pickles. A sandwich is $6, a combo with a side and drink is $9. Available through August 3.

    Eight Elite Light Beer, the beer brand from ex-Dallas Cowboys Troy Aikman, is launching a new slim can. It's still a 12-ounce can but it's taller and slimmer than a regular beer can. Eight is brewed with three ingredients — water, malt, hops — for a crisp, full-flavored beer with 90 calories and 2.6g of carbs, without the additives many mass market light beers contain.

    Shiner Bock has new summer releases: the Shiner Shandy Lemonade variety pack and Ruby Sunburst. The variety pack flavors include raspberry lemonade, mango lemonade, and lemonade, with 24 cans for $18. Ruby Sunburst is tangerine flavored and comes in a six-pack for $11.

    Texas Barbecue is a Facebook group founded by Desert Storm veteran and Rockdale native Derik Strelsky. He channeled his PTSD into a positive force to connect with others on BBQ trips and share reviews. The group spotlights barbecue joints, family recipes, and the talents of pitmasters across the state.

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