Kimbal Musk, founder of The Kitchen farm-to-table restaurant group and a director of Chipotle, said he’s cracked the code for a quick-service restaurant concept that will feature healthful soups, sandwiches and salads for under $5 each.
The Kitchenette will be the third healthy concept pioneered by Musk and business partner Hugo Matheson. In addition to locations of The Kitchen, the pair operates a sister concept called Next Door.
Musk, the brother of Tesla founder Elon Musk, told Tech Insider that he will keep costs low in The Kitchenette by working closely with local farmers. Musk says that using the same meat and produce distributors for all three concepts will help slash prices for in-season items.
The Kitchenette’s first location is set to open at the visitor’s center of urban park and conservancy Shelby Farms Park in Memphis, Tenn. Design renderings mirror a coffee shop and sport an outdoor patio, underscoring the quick and nutritious theme.
The Kitchenette is part of Musk’s restaurant philosophy “Community Through Food” and his efforts to establish what he calls a “real food culture.”
“In the past five years, we’ve moved toward eating in our cars, our cubicles, and in front of our TVs. It’s very isolating,” he tells Tech Insider. “The reality is that we connect through food, and we have the opportunity to do it three times a day.”
Musk hopes to launch more Kitchenette locations within Memphis and eventually take the concept nationwide.
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