By Ashley M. Casey

Associate Editor

CoreLife Eatery, a rapidly growing chain of health-focused fast casual restaurants, has been named no. 1 on a list of healthier fast food choices by Consumer Reports. Founded in North Syracuse in 2015, CoreLife Eatery’s other Central New York locations include DeWitt and Camillus.

“We’re really excited about it and we’re really proud,” said Scott Davis, president and chief concept officer of CoreLife Eatery. “Being recognized by somebody like Consumer Reports is huge for us.”

Consumer Reports rated the menus of 17 chains on the availability of whole grains and vegetables, levels of sodium and saturated fat, and healthy beverage options.

The publication’s own nutritionist, Amy Keating, weighed in on the ranking process in an article titled “Fast Food Gets a Makeover,” written by Jessica Branch.

“Different chains have different takes on the health trend,” Keating said in the article. “We wanted to look at so-called burger or pasta places to see how they’ve reshaped their menus. But we also wanted to see how well healthy-minded diners could eat at places that advertise fresh ingredients, like Panera Bread and Chipotle, as well as at restaurants where health is the founding principle, like CoreLife Eatery.”

Consumer Reports credited the variety of CoreLife’s offerings, which include “power plates” and bowls based around grains, greens or broth.

“They’re replete with a wide variety of vegetables, grains, and legumes; some include tuna, chicken, or grass-fed beef. Most of the dishes have less than 1,000 mg of sodium and less than 10 grams of saturated fat. Beverages are mostly organic teas or fruit-based drinks. Some have added sugars but usually less than in soda, and servings are capped at 12 ounces,” Branch wrote.

Davis said the chain’s inclusion on the list shows that CoreLife’s mission to “deliver food that tastes good and is good for you” is working.

There are 62 CoreLife Eatery locations nationwide, and the company plans to expand to 300 locations in the next five years.

“It seems to validate for us more and more where we see the food trends are going and we’re a leader in that category,” Davis said.

While the coronavirus pandemic has posed a serious challenge to restaurants, Davis said CoreLife has seen an acceleration in the growth rate of mobile orders. CoreLife Eatery partners with the DoorDash food delivery app and has its own mobile platform.

“What we’ve found is a lot of new folks coming in and finding us and getting new healthy food. It’s great for us to get some traction,” he said. “The first few weeks were very, very slow but it’s been getting steadier every week. It’s actually given me more time to work on menu development.”

Before joining CoreLife in 2016, Davis was chief concept officer for Panera Bread and was named MenuMasters’ Innovator of the Year in 2011.

“Right now we’re rolling out tacos. We like to evolve our menu, keep it interesting and relevant and always tasty at the same time,” he said.

CoreLife Eatery’s naan tacos are available in select New York locations and will be available at every location later this spring. To learn more, visit corelifeeatery.com.

The Consumer Reports article in which CoreLife is featured can be found at consumerreports.org/fast-food-dining-out/fast-food-gets-a-makeover/.