Dig Inn, a fast-growing, fast-casual restaurant out of New York, to open in Philly
The chain, which owns a farm, specializes in seasonal bowls. Among investors is hospitality kingpin Danny Meyer.
Dig Inn, whose healthful fast-casual food has attracted not only fans but a high-profile investor, is poised to enter the Philadelphia market.
There’s been no word from the company, but my sources pinpoint the location as 1616 Chestnut St., a former Radio Shack store across from Liberty Place and next door to Old Navy.
Meanwhile, next door, at 1614 Chestnut St., Frank’s Steaks & Burgers (at Frankford and Wellington in the city’s Mayfair section) is setting up shop in what was the Four Seasons Food Court for many years before it closed earlier this year. (Steaks and burgers will maintain the block’s nutritional yin and yang.)
Dig Inn, founded in New York City in 2011 and now with more than two dozen locations, rocks a vegetable-forward menu of what it calls “mindfully sourced" food (seasonal bowls, mainly) prepared by real chefs that the company trains.
As a player in the fast-casual category, Dig Inn will face new neighbors including Just Salad a block away; a Sweetgreen and a Real Food Eatery two blocks away; and Smart Street Healthy Kitchen & Juice Bar three blocks away.
Among Dig Inn’s most recent investors is Enlightened Hospitality Investments, in which Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group is a minority general partner. NRN reported recently that the Shake Shack founder and his partners ponied up $15 million toward Dig Inn’s expansion to New York, Boston, and elsewhere.
It has its own farm while touting its relationships with other farmers and producers.
No timeline has been discussed, but a late summer-early fall debut is possible, given that work has started.
N.B. Construction proceeds apace on Inchin’s Bamboo Garden, a Chinese-Indian chain coming to 1726 Chestnut St. It’s penciled in for summer.