Consumers report: We love this fast food
It's cheaper than eating out, beats a frozen dinner. For many, gourmet to go is a way of life in a go-go world.
By ALEXANDRA ZAYAS
Published February 10, 2006
SOUTH TAMPA - Denise Chavez knows what her regulars want the second they walk into Chavez at Home, a gourmet takeout store in SoHo. For Douglas Bodden, it's french toast.
Bodden, a Davis Islands interior designer, switches up his dinner menu several times a week - today it's lobster casserole, grouper, green beans and tomato mozzarella pesto - but sticks to french toast for breakfast.
He likes his gourmet to go, a well-deserved treat after a long day's work.
"It's much easier to come here and get good food and not have to worry about cooking," Bodden said. "I just don't have the time."
Young professionals, busy families and retired couples are cutting straight to the main course as the gourmet takeout market grows in Tampa.
Already a well-known name in Tampa for its family-owned dine-in restaurants, Chavez at Home opened in June to adapt to diners' needs.
"People work longer, harder and they exercise. If you want to go for a run, it's 7 p.m. when you get home if you've been working all day," Chavez said. "I think this is the wave of the future."
Other spots have sprung up in South Tampa, each offering a unique take on the takeout trend.
Minor's Market off Swann Avenue opened in August 2004. Along with its high-end dinner selection, Minor's is a treasure trove of hard-to-find imported pastas, wines and beers from small breweries. Its young owners and local art for sale on the walls give the market an indie feel.
Village Health Market on MacDill Avenue, which opened seven months ago, is more of a grocery store. A haven for health nuts who want their produce 100 percent organic and their meat hormone-free, the market draws a lunch and dinner crowd with its chef's creations. Even owners of South Tampa staples Whaley's Market and Castellano & Pizzo say their gourmet-to-go counters have seen a huge increase recently.
"For the most part, people who work until late in the evening don't want to come home and prepare a meal," Paul Castellano said. "They like the idea of coming in and getting a nice home-cooked meal, and it's a lot less expensive than going out to dinner."
At Castellano & Pizzo, a serving of chicken piccata or chicken marsala costs $5.50 per person. Chavez at Home offers entrees such as beef tenderloin for $6.50 and pan-fried grouper filet for $7.
"They want something a little bit better for their money," said Minor's Market owner John Minor. "They want the quality, but they still want that convenience factor."
A family of four can get an authentic Greek meal to go at Louis Pappas Market and Cafe in under 15 minutes. The family-owned restaurant business, which has locations in South Tampa, Oldsmar and New Tampa, among others, owes its success to the same values that work for gourmet takeout: It's cheap, good, fast and healthy.
People have witnessed the damaging health effects of fast food, said Village Health Market owner Roni Levy. They've become more educated about nutrition, and they're taking long-term steps to change their lifestyles.
"I think people are a lot more conscious of what they put in their bodies," said Ann Sahlman, whose Tampa public relations firm Sahlman-Williams analyzes trends in the food market. "A lot of stuff people buy themselves is garbage, and they don't want that. So when you have real chefs making your dinner, why not?"
It's an expense well worth the money, she said.
"When you combine this trend with the types of people who are moving into Tampa - I mean, people are buying $300,000 to $5-million homes - I think they can afford this," Sahlman said. "It's a major trend, and I don't just think it's in food. I think people are much more discerning about everything in their lives."
Whaley's owner Todd Whaley agrees. Whaley's added gourmet-to-go to its grocery store 10 years ago, and sales contributed to 5 percent of the store's total income. Now, it's increased to 30 percent.
People have different reasons for going gourmet, Whaley said, and there is no specific type of consumer.
"You have the baby boomers, people with money that are now retiring, they don't want to spend that much time in the kitchen," Whaley said. "Then, you have professional people, married couples in their 30s. A lot of times, both of them are working. Who's to say which is going to cook?"
Many young people don't know how to cook but still expect to eat good food.
"Anything we sell here in the store, we take a lot of time to prepare it," Whaley said. "It's made from all fresh ingredients. You're not taking shortcuts with the food."
Both Chavez and Minor said that many of their customers are regulars. Gourmet takeout isn't just a quick solution - it's becoming a way of life.
"Missed you for lunch today," Minor said to Leigh Ann Cosmo as she walked into the market one day last week. "I just got into town," she said.
The Hyde Park resident visits Minor's Market for lunch with friends twice a week and orders dinner for her doctor husband, Lenny, two to three times a week.
"He works hard, so when he comes home, there's dinner," she said. "Life has gotten easier."
- Times staff writer Jeremy Hayes contributed to this report. Alexandra Zayas can be reached at 813 226-3354 or at azayas@sptimes.com