Bryn and Dane’s Healthy Fast Food – Join the Fast Food Revolution
400 Privet Road
Horsham, PA 19044
(215) 675-1599
http://www.BRYNandDANES.com
My disclaimer: this review is 100% my own opinion. I was not paid or compensated in any way by Bryn and Dane’s for this review. Also, the below logo and the “local lo-cal” image are both from B&D’s Facebook page.
Bryn & Dane’s mantra
It’s a rare occasion that I come across a place that I can honestly shout about from the rooftops. However, when I do, you better believe that I am going to.
On a trip from Mr. Fox’s work to the post office in Horsham, I drove by a curious place called Bryn & Dane’s. They didn’t appear to be open yet, so I made a mental note about it (and subsequently forgot about) and went on my way.
Fast forward 6 or 7 months, and I’m back at the post office. There’s this Bryn & Dane’s place again, and it’s JAMMED. The parking lot didn’t have many open spots that I could see, and the drive thru line was pretty long. Again, I made a mental note to look them up when I got home.
After visiting their Facebook page (their website redirects to their page, but I guess they’re working on a new site), I decided I’d be going there for lunch the next day.
From their page:
Forged from nothing more than an idea & will power, we’re not going to stop growing until we’ve changed the American diet.
We make it easy for you to be healthy. Here in Horsham we have created the first healthy fast-food experience the world has ever seen- and we aren’t going to stop growing until you see a BRYN and DANE’S in every town in America.Join the fast-food revolution, eat at BRYN and DANE’S.
Now, this was a concept I could get behind. On days that I took Mr. Fox to work, I had typically been eating at Elevation Burger, which, as you might know, is pretty much a completely organic version of Five Guys. But honestly, Elevation Burger has gotten old, because their menu lacks variety. Also, I’ve noticed that their burgers have gotten more greasy in the 8 months I’ve been eating there. So I was ecstatic to find out that there might be a better alternative to my norm.
When you first pull into B&D’s parking lot, you’re greeted with palm trees. That’s right – they have palm trees out front! I thought that was pretty neat, and am curious to know how they survive in the winter. They also have some tables outside, which will be great for the warmer weather when it gets here (hopefully sooner rather than later). Their parking lot is pretty large, so even if it’s pretty busy, you’ll get a decent spot.
Walking into the restaurant, you’re faced with the registers and the menu. The inner decor is pretty nice, with lots of tables. One especially cool thing to note is that their lighting fixtures in the dining area are mason jars. There is also a counter-like table by the window that has electrical outlets (you’d think this would be a regular occurrence in most places, but not so much, so this was refreshing to see) for those who want to plug in and use their wifi. Since they’re open at 6:30am for breakfast, I would imagine there’d be some people coming in with their laptops. So that immediately gave them more points in my book.
B&D’s has a pretty diverse menu. I’ve only had them for lunch so far, but I am making a point to try them for breakfast sometime soon as well. The amazing thing is that they boast about being “local and lo-cal”, which means they locally source everything used in the items they offer, and they’re menu items are naturally lo-cal because they can control all of the ingredients going into them. So you can be rest assured that if your wrap says it’s 272 calories, it is absolutely 272 calories. For the entire wrap. Which is huge. See below.
local, lo-cal philosophy
Speaking of wraps and things, their menu includes wraps, small plates (chicken tenders that are baked, not fried), quesadillas, salads, soups and chili, real fruit and green smoothies, and sweet potato fries. Oh the fries. Those are baked and not fried as well. All of their sauces are made in-house, as they’re needed. In addition to sweet potato fries, they offer popcorn made from local corn (Lancaster, PA), which is served in neat little bags you might put coffee in. And speaking of coffee and other beverages, they offer organic fair trade coffee all day, as well as 4 or 5 flavors of USDA-certified organic iced teas. Another important thing to note as well is that there is absolutely no high-fructose corn syrup at B&D’s. In fact, their soda fountain is a New Hope Premium Fountain (another local company), which is made up of natural sodas sweetened with pure cane sugar. (in full disclosure, since I have been soda-free for almost a year, I did not try any of the soda at B&D’s, and stuck with their original unsweetened iced tea)
Now that I’ve gotten the background information out of the way, let’s see what I ate!
Before I went into B&D’s for the first time, I combed the internet for reviews. There were plenty of reviews on Yelp and Foursquare, but I wanted reviews like this one I’m writing. Something from a real person, posting on their blog for posterity. For some reason, I tend to find those more helpful than others, because they usually include more information than your typical Yelp review (at least that I’ve found). Upon finding this one by Laura Freed, I decided to start my B&D’s experience with their chicken tenders small plate, with a side of their sweet potato fries.
chicken tender small plate with buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, and sweet potato fries on the side
I ordered my chicken tenders with a side of buffalo sauce and ranch dressing. As you can see, the chicken tenders are baked, not fried. They’re pure white meat, and very well seasoned. The buffalo sauce gave them a good kick, and the ranch dressing was flavorful. Ah! I forgot to mention that B&D’s also has house-made ketchups, in different flavors. Off the top of my head, I can remember that they have original, garlic, mesquite, and I think there might be one other. I chose to go with the garlic ketchup, and oh em gee, it went so well with the sweet potato fries. I love the fact that the sweet potato fries are baked and not fried. I think that baking them gives them a whole different flavor, and I have to give them props for that, and being able to handle baking all of their fries in a fast food environment.
During my first visit, I also decided to have one of their smoothies. They seem to get a lot of love on B&D’s Facebook page, so I didn’t want to leave without trying one. The smoothie I tried was the Dark Lucy, which is dark chocolate, raspberries and strawberries. They are real fruit, with no juice or additives. You can also add things like wheatgrass to their smoothies, which is great. A little pricy, but as I mentioned, you’re getting real fruit as opposed to a concentrate. I loved the Dark Lucy, and plan to try the Grasshopper (green tea, pineapple, peach and spinach) next time I go. I’ve never had a green smoothie before, and hope this one lives up to it’s popularity.
Dark Lucy smoothie – dark chocolate, raspberry, and strawberry
I went back to B&D’s for lunch, because I wanted to make at least two trips before making an honest and fair review. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that the manager remembered my name after the weekend had passed. I love it when people actually pay attention when I talk to them! Anyway, I wanted to try one of their wraps. I decided to go with the Southern BBQ wrap, which is grilled chicken, onions, romaine lettuce, mozzarella cheese and hickory bbq sauce, all for 292 calories. I definitely loved the flavor of this one. The bbq sauce was delicious, and as you can see, it was chock full of tasty chicken. My one and only complaint was that the cheese wasn’t thoroughly melted. I guess that’s just personal preference though. If it’s a hot wrap, it should have melty cheese, and if it’s a cold wrap, it should have cold cheese. Honestly though, the semi-melty cheese didn’t detract from the flavor one bit, and I was completely satisfied. As a side, I chose to go with their white cheddar popcorn, but somehow I ended up with a side of sweet potato fries as well. Totally didn’t need them, but totally didn’t complain either. Love love love that garlic ketchup.
locally-sourced popcorn with white cheddar
Southern BBQ wrap, opened up
Southern BBQ Wrap, just delivered
Based on food quality, excellence of service, atmosphere, and concept, I would have to say that I am happy to have found Bryn & Dane’s. It is certainly a welcome change from the normal greasy fast food crap we’re all used to. I only wish that there were more locations, but because Mr. Fox works in the area, B&D’s is easy to get to when I take him to work. It’s good-for-you, healthy food, prepped and made in an ethical way, and it won’t hurt your wallet (unless of course, you go everyday, which is probably not that hard to do!).
Please take my advice and visit Bryn & Dane’s if you’re ever in the Horsham area, either for breakfast, lunch or dinner. As I mentioned before, I haven’t been there for breakfast yet, but I will get there soon! Hope to see you there!
outside, from the side of the building
front registers, by the soda fountain
As a side note, if you’d like to see a real live reason as to how B&D’s is really in fact good for you, check out Running My Ass Off. Big (or not so big) Andy went from 330lbs to 205lbs in a little over a year, while eating at B&D’s almost on a daily basis and “running his ass off.” I love to find inspiration in other bloggers, especially when they’re local. Hey Andy, maybe we can meet for coffee sometime! I’d love to talk to you about your success.
bryn danes healthy fast food horsham pennsylvania
This post, Review – Bryn & Dane’s in Horsham, PA, was written by phillynikongal, and originally posted on esther fox [DOT] com. If you're reading this on a site other than esther fox [DOT] com, it has been taken and used without permission.
