The Change Mariner: Low-Carb Could Spell Next Fast-Food Fight

October 12, 2003

Low-Carb Could Spell Next Fast-Food Fight

Jeff Endervelt's interest in low-carbohydrate foods began as a personal quest when he experimented with the Atkins diet and spin-offs that helped him shed 20 pounds.
As chief executive of Atlanta-based Blimpie International Inc., Endervelt saw a market worth pursuing when his customers started asking for submarine sandwiches on something other than white bread.

A sandwich shop called Blimpie's might seem an unlikely destination for dieters. It is now also the only national restaurant operator testing a separate menu targeted at the low-carb, high-protein eating craze.

The Blimpie Carb Counter Menu, launched this month in parts of New York's Long Island, offers 6-inch subs with fillings like roast beef and cheddar with wasabi dressing on seven-grain bread. The sandwiches, each with only 7 to 8.5 net carb grams and lacking the white flour eschewed by low-carb adherents, can be paired with a SoBe drink and Crunchers chips from Atkins Nutritionals Inc.

Posted by Timothy Fredel at October 12, 2003 10:46 AM
Related Categories: Industry - Food | Quadrant - Social | Theme - 'Health(ier) Food' | Theme - 'Obesity Epidemic'

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