Americans like their food served quickly, but many are turning from greasier “fast food” to healthier fare – as long as it’s served in a hurry…

A whole new class of restaurants, called “quick service” restaurants to distance themselves from traditional fast food restaurants, is gaining popularity, with $142 billion in annual sales.

One of the most successful of such healthier-fare restaurants -- also called “fast casual” or “quick casual” -- is Panera Bread bakery/cafes. The 25-year-old chain specializes in custom sandwiches on their own house-baked bread, and has grown to 897 restaurants.

A meal at one of these quick service restaurants generally costs more than a meal at McDonald’s or Wendy’s, but customers are willing to pay more for food that tends more toward salads, soups, and fresh ingredients.

Many specialty restaurants and chains exist within the quick service category, still with an emphasis on classier décor and more “quality” ingredients than regular fast food outlets. Moe’s Southwest Grill and Tijuana Flats offer Mexican-style fare, and other chains offer other ethnic varieties of food.

They are all designed to appeal to baby boomers and others who are more nutrition-conscious, and willing to pay extra for healthier food.

Although numerous lawsuits and campaigns have attacked the high-fat, health-wrecking nature of much traditional fast food – including the documentary “Super Size Me” and the book, “Fast Food Nation,” – fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s and others continue to prosper.

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