Texting with a friend yesterday about a new place to eat, we settled on Verde as a location for our lunch meeting today. G is usually spot on with his recommendations and only occasionally misses. Today, he missed.
This quaint little restaurant in Downtown PHX is well decorated and provides exactly the kind of visual atmosphere a metropolitan fast-food crossover should.
Unfortunately, the service is lacking personality and overall interest in the customer. While the food was appetizing and provided decent flavor, it was lacking in something special--something that really popped when you took a bite.
Overall, Verde is caught in an economic conundrum many new establishments are facing--cheap fast food or moderately priced gourmet food? Based on their space, it seems the cheap fast food route (a la America's Tacos) is the way to go.
Add a soda fountain, serve cheap beer, and make a taco/salsa bar. It'll speed up the service and reduce overhead.