Our History
Dates (that probably matter only to us!)
Consumed by our passion for great foods from around the world and a conviction that fast and healthy can actually live in perfect harmony, we started conceptualizing Darn Good Food in 2006.
At the time, we were still leading frantic corporate lives, often skipping breakfast to make time for the early conference call, wondering what to eat on our “40-minute lunch hour” just to silence the rumblings and dealing with dinner as yet another painful chore on our way home.
In 2007, cancer came calling and slowed life down to a halt. Four months of bland, uninspired hospital food and many sleepless nights lead to a whole new appreciation for flavorful healthy food and a balanced approach to life.
Having fully recovered from this truly life-changing experience, I left my executive corporate job behind to embark on this journey of a lifetime; armed with a new resolve and reshuffled priorities.
With the help of Jean-Marc Fullsack, our consulting Executive Chef and Marlene Janco, our consulting Registered Dietician we developed a menu concept for health-conscious busy urbanites.
In 2010, Darn Good Food was officially born in San Francisco and we opened our first restaurant in the City’s financial district in 2012.
As we look towards the future, we will continue to be guided every step of the way by you – our customers – and our “foodistas”, as we expand our product offerings and open new markets around the country in the pursuit of our healthy fast-food revolution.
What makes us different?
Based on our extensive analysis of metropolitan markets around the United States, Canada, Europe and the Middle East, we determined that more consumers will in fact make sensible food choices provided:
The food tastes great, the menu is diverse, the portion size is adequate, the cost is reasonable, the experience is both convenient and satisfying and the nutrition benefits, while clearly outlined, are not off-putting or intimidating.
Our menu is packed with rich flavors from around the world; including breakfast, smoothies, soups, salads, sandwiches, DG Boxes, sides, snacks, drinks and even beer and wine. EVERYTHING on our menu is WHOLESOME, healthy and good for you. ALL our ingredients are carefully selected with an eye on FRESHNESS, seasonality and nutrition: they are always hormone-free, antibiotic-free, pesticide-free and locally farmed whenever possible. The CHOICE is always yours: you can even custom build your salad and design your own 3 or 5 item DG Box for dinner. You will always know that whatever your selection, it has been carefully reviewed by our NUTRITION experts to ensure you are always getting the best nutrition for the money!
As an added bonus, for those health fanatics, we make it easy to determine recommended daily caloric intake by using our BMI calculator and comparing with the total calories posted next to each item. (Breakfast <350 calories – soups/sandwiches/salads <550 calories – DG Boxes <850 calories)
