For eight years, FARE has been making the same bold argument on Chicago blocks: fast food can actually be real food. Now that argument is traveling. On Friday, November 6, 2026, the female-founded, better-for-you fast-casual brand opens FARE Queensbridge Collective — its first location outside its home market and the first real test of whether a clean-label concept built in the Midwest can resonate in a new metro.
For operators watching the better-for-you segment, this is the kind of expansion worth tracking: a proven unit economics model, a tight ingredient philosophy, and a disciplined first step into a growth market rather than a scattershot national land grab.
From One Chicago Restaurant to 11 Locations
FARE Queensbridge Collective sits on the ground floor of the Vivian, the residential building at Queensbridge Collective, at 111 E. Carson Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28203. It marks the brand’s 11th location overall — and the first beyond the 10 it operates across Illinois.
Founder and CEO Kasia Bednarz, a first-generation American, launched FARE in 2018 after hitting a wall familiar to a lot of time-crunched eaters: she couldn’t find a quick, convenient option that was genuinely wholesome and made with real, clean ingredients. So she built one.
“Bringing FARE to Charlotte is a major milestone for us. It’s more than a new location; it’s proof of what FARE can be beyond Chicago. Expanding into a new market lets us keep building on our mission to make real, clean food accessible, and we’re excited to become part of the Charlotte community,” said Kasia Bednarz, Founder & CEO of FARE.
A Grand Opening Built for Buzz
FARE Queensbridge Collective is open daily from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM. To mark the launch, the brand is partnering with OLIPOP — the nationally recognized, rapidly growing prebiotic soda brand — on an Apple Crisp Float, available while supplies last. The first 100 guests in line will also receive a free plate entrée, with official grand opening celebrations kicking off at 11:00 AM.
It’s a smart playbook: pair a buzzy functional-beverage name with a limited-time, seasonal hook and a giveaway that drives a line. For a concept entering a cold market, that opening-day line is both marketing and proof of demand.
Inside the Nutrition-Forward Menu
FARE’s menu is seasonally inspired and designed to balance healthy and indulgent across every daypart. Highlights include:
Breakfast
Egg dishes made with organic eggs: Egg Wrap, Scrambled Egg Bowl, or Egg Sandwich
Overnight Oats or a Greek Yogurt Parfait with Seasonal Fruit Compote and Purely Elizabeth Granola
Smoothies with organic milk and Greek yogurt, wild-sourced blueberries and EPIC protein powder — no fruit juice or ice
Lighter picks: an Intelligentsia handcrafted espresso beverage paired with a Seedy Cookie or a slice of Toasted Almond Bread
Lunch & Dinner
Choice of proteins: Bluehouse Atlantic Salmon, Basil Turkey Meatballs, Smoky Chicken, or Phoenix Bean Tofu
Year-round sides: Harissa Sweet Potatoes, Mac and Cheese, Green Goddess Slaw, and Roasted Carrots
Seasonal sides that rotate quarterly
Served as a Bowl, Market Plate, or Kid’s Plate — or ordered in bulk for family meals and weekly meal prep
Everything is available for dine-in, takeout, and delivery via the FARE app.
The Six Non-Negotiables
What separates FARE from the crowded “healthy” fast-casual field is a published set of standards. Every item adheres to six non-negotiables:
Scratch made daily in each location
Deliciously good food, fast
Zero seed oils or refined sugars
Satisfying portions of high-quality, nutrient-dense food
No ultra-processed ingredients
Full ingredient transparency
The guiding idea — “Your Kitchen Away From Home” — reflects where consumer demand has clearly been trending: clean labels, easy-to-pronounce ingredients, and the removal of seed oils and refined sugar as a point of differentiation rather than a footnote.
Why It Matters
FARE’s Charlotte opening is a signal flare for the better-for-you fast-casual segment, and there are a few practical takeaways for operators and buyers.
Clean-label is becoming a positioning strategy, not a niche. “Zero seed oils,” “no ultra-processed ingredients,” and “full ingredient transparency” are increasingly front-of-menu selling points. Operators weighing a menu refresh should note how FARE turns sourcing standards into marketing.
All-day dayparts expand revenue. With breakfast, lunch, dinner, bulk family meals, and meal prep all under one 7 AM–9 PM roof, FARE stretches a single footprint across multiple occasions — a model worth studying for anyone fighting the midday-only revenue ceiling.
Co-marketing with functional brands drives traffic. The OLIPOP tie-in shows how pairing with a hot beverage partner can create a limited-time reason to visit. Expect more of these functional-beverage collaborations as prebiotic and better-for-you drinks go mainstream.
Disciplined expansion de-risks growth. Scaling to 10 units in one state before stepping into market No. 2 is a measured approach franchisors and investors tend to reward.
For procurement directors and foodservice executives, FARE’s named suppliers — from Bluehouse Atlantic Salmon to Purely Elizabeth and Intelligentsia — also offer a working template for how a clean-label concept builds credibility through transparent sourcing partners.
Watching the clean-eating and functional-beverage trends collide? See our coverage of how Nirvana brings functional indulgence to hospitality and Kensing’s cholesterol-lowering cream cheese for more on better-for-you product innovation.
Is clean-label fast casual the next growth engine in your market — or a passing wellness wave? Drop your take in the comments and tell us how you’re adapting your menu to the better-for-you shift.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40” for founding American Wholesale Floral. Politz is also the founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
Dining and Cooking