Yum! Brands Is Opening a Fast-Food Banh Mi Shop in Dallas

Earlier this year, Yum Brands, the corporate giant behind the processed food trifecta of Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC, opened a test restaurant called Super Chix. The fast food restaurant looks like a blatant attempt to steal customers from Chick-fil-A. They’re even open Sunday.

Now the company is dabbling in Banh Mi. Yum! Brands’ latest, Banh Shop, doesn’t seem to be directly mimicking any other fast food restaurant, but I’m a little concerned about what they might be doing to one of my favorite sandwiches.

According to the Escape Hatch, the Asian sub shop will occupy a former auto repair shop near the intersection of SMU Boulevard and Prentice Street, just east of North Central Expressway. That could be a good location, because one of the most important components of a good banh mi is the bread, and Village Baking Co. happens to be turning out the city’s best baguettes just around the corner.

Or maybe they’ll put a spin on the Subway play and attempt to bake their own. More and more fast casual concepts (Panera, Hopdoddy) have delved in a bread baking as a way to differentiate their menus.

Bread aside, they’re going to need some high quality fillings too. And yes, Yum, that includes pate.