Yum! Brands Launches Fast Food Bánh Mì Shop

The people who brought you Taco Bell and KFC are now opening a banh mi fast food place called Banh Shop. Yum! Brands is testing out the new concept for a fast-casual spot to highlight the popular Vietnamese sandwich in Dallas, with more locations to open in Texas later this month.

It seems that Yum! is trying to seriously compete with Chipotle, and other fast-casual dining restaurants. Their upscale taco Bell concept, U.S. Taco, opened in California over the summer, and Banh Shop seems to be Yum's answer to the Chipotle Asian offshoot, ShopHouse (it even has a similar name).

It seems like local chefs are in on the new banh mi shiop. Yum has hired Dallas chefs Braden and Yasmin Wages to create several types of banh mi, as well as salad and soup options, and "wok'd bowls" with rice and/or noodles. Some highlights include a grilled pork meatball banh mi with a Vietnamese caramel glaze and scallions, topped with cucumber-cilantro aioli; as well as a sliced chicken breast banh mi sandwich marinated in chili-coconut and topped with the same aioli.

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Joanna Fantozzi is an Associate Editor with The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter@JoannaFantozzi