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 Healthy Menus

Would Desert Moon Fresh Mexican Grille be focusing on fresh if President and CEO Gary Occhiogrosso had been happy with the food he was finding when he and his family ate out?

We'll probably never know. But is was definitely his dissatisfaction with restaurant food that inspired him to make "The Fresh, Healthful Alternative to Fast Food" the motto at this fast casual chain based in Valley Cottage, N.Y.

"The decision was driven first by how I eat and what my choices and frustrations are when I'm out looking for a place to eat. There is really very little out there that is healthful," Occhiogrosso explains, "Second, I don't believe I, my wife, my daughter and my friends are that unique. People today are reading labels and are concered about what they're putting into their bodies. It's all about better menu options, fresher ingredients, better preparation. And I think if I'm feeling this, so are many others."

If Desert Moon's success is any indication, this CEO's take on consumers' perferences is on target. The fast casual concept--which Entrpreneur Magazine named one of the Top 50 New Franchises in February 2003--now boasts 18 locations, with several more on the way within the next year.

Those locations now offer tofu, plus low-and no-carb items as options for the signature made-to-order burritos. Gluten-free tortillas are in the test phase. And as Occhiogrosso reports, "Our goal is to be trans fat-free by the end of the year.

"But being a healthful alternative to fast food goes beyond being able to say you're fat- and trans fat-free," Occhiogrosso stresses. "It goes to the core of what is in the food. You can't do a whole menu using organic produce, but people want to know you have key produce items that aren't treated with pesticided. If you do that, the result, by default, is a fresher, healthier concept."

Nutritional Analysis

Desert Moon offer customers more than fresh, healthful menu options. It also offers a nutritional analysis for customers who want to evaluate how many calories, carbs and grams of fat, how much sodium, fiber, sugar, protein, calcium, Vitamikns A and C; even how many Weigh Watchers' points are in each item they order. The analysis was developed under the guidance of Fred J. Kirvan, director of brand development.

"It wasn't as difficult as you might think," Kirvan says. "It took a lot of time--we either got information from each manufacturer or had them do a nutritional analysis for us, then we plugged that information into a computer software program."

"If someonw counts points, someone on Weight Watchers for example, that individual can look at the chart and build a burrito to their own specifications and know what the nutritional content of every ingredient in that burrito is," Occhiogrosso adds.

Desert Moon used a computer program purchased through the National Restaurant Association. "It was created for the National Restaurant Association so we know it complies with the FDA's regulations on providing nutritional info," he notes.

Some Healthful Advice

Desert Moon is please with consumer response to its fresh, healthful menu. But Occhiogrosso admits his company has gone farther with fresh than some other Mexican concepts might want to go (even though, as he says, "We still put cheese on our quesadillas!").

"I eat in a lot of Mexican restaurants. Some of them are small, family-owned restaurants in Hispanic neighborhoods that use lard and other things I don't normally eat, and the food tastes great!" he says. "I'm not so sure that the level of operator is overly concerned [about healthful options] because their market is small and they have loyal customers."

But for restaurants considering a move--however large or small--into the fresh, healthful category, Occhiogrosso and Kirvan have some advice.

"In small, independent restaurants, the owners/operators probably aren't focusing on healthful alternatives so they're not looking at individual ingrediants," Kirvan says. "But if you want to do it, you have to buy a program and spend a lot of time doing it. You have to take a hard look at the ingredients you use. Too often money drives the decision-making." A vegetable base with no MSG, for example, would be a good, healthful option to consider but typically costs more, he notes.

"I agree with Fred. If independent restaurants are truly interested, they have to do the research, convert their menus and transfer component items to healthier items," Occhiogrosso says. "When building a brand you want people to associate key words with your company: Volvo has come to mean 'safety', FedEx 'overnight' and Desert Moon 'healthful and fresh.' We attract our guests by using our brand as a magnet. Some people cast a net to be all things to all people. But in the end, you have to stay true to your brand position."

By: Kathleen Furore
Desert Moon featured in Restaurante Mexicano Magazine