Starbucks keeps pushing further and further afield from its core coffee business in search of the big bucks. They've tried publishing books, serving alcohol and installing small convection ovens to heat up breakfast wraps. Success outside the coffee arena has been mixed. But that hasn't dissuaded its executives from trying new things.
Their latest foray into foodstuffs more complicated than muffins is the Bistro Box, introduced at selected Starbucks nationwide yesterday. The boxes, which sell for $5 and $6 depending on size, are being billed as healthy alternatives to most other fast food meals. They all include some combination of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and all are under 500 calories.
They look pretty good, considering what they might have been, especially the four appetizer options. But HuffPost Food noticed certain resemblances between the entree Bistro Boxes and dishes served at other chain restaurants. We decided to compare the four entree Bistro Boxes with their competitors at more established food chains. Here's what we found:
Starbucks' Chicken Chipotle Wrap Bistro Box (above) offers "Grilled Chipotle-spiced chicken, fiery pepper jack cheese, and soft whole wheat tortillas are served with lime-cilantro slaw and avocado & roasted tomato salsa," and will set your diet back 380 calories.
The McDonald's Chicken Chipotle Snack Wrap(below) has fewer calories, with just 260. But it's also smaller and doesn't include anything like cilantro.
The McDonald's Chicken Chipotle Snack Wrap(below) has fewer calories, with just 260. But it's also smaller and doesn't include anything like cilantro.
Starbucks' Chicken Lettuce Wraps (above) let you assemble your own faux ssam with red lettuce and a mix of vegetables. At just 360 calories, including a mini-chocolate, it's hardly an indulgence.
By contrast, the Chang's Signature Chicken Lettuce Wrap appetizer at PF Chang's, with 640 calories in a whole order, is a veritable gut-buster. But for our money, the retro, non-authentic crunch of the PF Chang chicken is worth the caloric expenditure.
By contrast, the Chang's Signature Chicken Lettuce Wrap appetizer at PF Chang's, with 640 calories in a whole order, is a veritable gut-buster. But for our money, the retro, non-authentic crunch of the PF Chang chicken is worth the caloric expenditure.
There's something very aspirationally Mediterranean about Starbucks' inclusion of a Salumi Plate among their bistro box offerings. It gives lunchers an Italian smorgasbord of flatbreads, cheese, olives, prosciutto and two kinds of salami to assemble mini-sandwiches and the like. It's the fattiest of the bistro boxes, packing in 420 calories, but also the most distinctive.
Most chains don't really have an equivalent dish. The closest we could find is Subway's Italian BMT, below, which includes salami, pepperoni and Black Forest ham. Subway calls it an "old-world favorite." A true Italian grandma probably wouldn't abide by the suggested non-fat mayo as a condiment, but 450 calories isn't too bad. Just watch out for the footlong option; that'll bump your intake up into the 900-calorie stratosphere.
Most chains don't really have an equivalent dish. The closest we could find is Subway's Italian BMT, below, which includes salami, pepperoni and Black Forest ham. Subway calls it an "old-world favorite." A true Italian grandma probably wouldn't abide by the suggested non-fat mayo as a condiment, but 450 calories isn't too bad. Just watch out for the footlong option; that'll bump your intake up into the 900-calorie stratosphere.
Sesame Noodles, the lightest of the Bistro Box entree offerings with just 350 calories, is also one of the weirdest. The sesame noodles are apparently tossed with "broccoli florets, carrots, red peppers, sugar snap peas and a creamy peanut dressing is served with a cucumber carrot salad, crunchy sesame peanuts and baked tofu with lightly spiced lime glaze." That's a lot of veggie.
Panda Express makes some kind of attempt at vegetable inclusion in their chow mein. Allegedly, the noodles are wok-stir-fried with "shredded onions, celery, cabbage, and bean sprouts." They must do the trick in terms of health, on some level, because a serving only has 500 calories. But who are we kidding? This is fast-food chow mein. It just tastes like oil!
Panda Express makes some kind of attempt at vegetable inclusion in their chow mein. Allegedly, the noodles are wok-stir-fried with "shredded onions, celery, cabbage, and bean sprouts." They must do the trick in terms of health, on some level, because a serving only has 500 calories. But who are we kidding? This is fast-food chow mein. It just tastes like oil!
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