'Start' Starts Today on Greenville Avenue

Today marks the official start of Start in Upper Greenville, a "real fast food restaurant," or should we say, "real food but fast." Start offers classic staples like burgers, salads and smoothies but with a health-conscious twist: the burgers come from 100% grass-fed cows, all salad dressings are made fresh in-house, and the smoothies use organic milk.

Start's owners are Erin and Mike McKool, a wife-and-husband team of Dallas lawyers. According to Erin, Start is designed to be "the beginning of a new movement serving natural, local and fresh food to people on the move."

Start will be first-of-its-kind for Dallas, separating itself from, on the one hand, fast-food places that focus on the fast rather than the food, and on the other hand, healthy choices that sometimes lack in the taste department.

McKool believes the rush rush rush of modern life is the real reason why people, (especially Texans) often make poor food choices. "We're living in a fast-paced society where people do more things in a day than ever before, so when it's time to eat they're kind of forced to take what's available and then rush back to work."

Aside from what exactly people eat, Start's menu and business practices are also designed to encourage customers to think about the before and after, as in "where does our food come from?" and "where does our trash go?" According to McKool, at Start the veggies and meat are local, the eggs are free-range and the coffee cups and plastic-ware are "totally biodegradable."

After a soft opening for family and friends, Start opens today to the masses. McKool says she expects the natural burgers, quinoa salad and chocolate cake to be the more popular items.

Start will be open from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Its Chipotle-esque metal and wood interior is designed by Plan B, the same group behind Bolsa, Oak and upcoming Mediterranean spot Jojo's. Check here for Start's full menu.

—Chad Jones
· Progress Report: Jojo [-EDAL-]
· Start To Open On Greenville Avenue August 8 [PegNews]

[Photo: Start | Facebook ]