After reading the entire article, what I still don't get is: why quinoa? Especially as regards this quote from owner David Friedberg:
"We've got to do two things: get healthy products down to a price point that McDonald’s and Taco Bell are winning on, and offer products tasty enough to disrupt the meat-focussed fast-food business ... We think the way to do it is quinoa."
Is quinoa really the best choice for those criteria? This feels more like trying to go a bit more upmarket and tie in to the quinoa hype than really looking for something that can produce McDonald's-level prices and appeal. I mean, the first two things that come to mind when I think of quinoa are "fairly expensive" and "doesn't taste great", so if I were looking for a low-cost-and-tasty staple ingredient, it's not what I'd pick.
"We've got to do two things: get healthy products down to a price point that McDonald’s and Taco Bell are winning on, and offer products tasty enough to disrupt the meat-focussed fast-food business ... We think the way to do it is quinoa."
Is quinoa really the best choice for those criteria? This feels more like trying to go a bit more upmarket and tie in to the quinoa hype than really looking for something that can produce McDonald's-level prices and appeal. I mean, the first two things that come to mind when I think of quinoa are "fairly expensive" and "doesn't taste great", so if I were looking for a low-cost-and-tasty staple ingredient, it's not what I'd pick.