Behold the Evos-lution of fast food

Fifteen years ago, most people thought Evos was a smoothie bar.

Co-founder Dino Lambridis didn't much like that.

Sure, there were smoothies on the menu. But he and his partners wanted to highlight the hearty vegetarian burgers, greaseless fries and organic milkshakes at the first Evos, which opened in South Tampa in 1995.

Think fast food, without the guilt and pit in your stomach afterward, he says.

"We kept getting grouped in with health food restaurants because there was nothing else," he says.

"We always wanted to remake fast food," Lambridis says of the menu, which also offers chicken, fish and vegetarian options. "We didn't want to change it that much. We wanted to let go of a little of the fat."

The American palate and the restaurant industry have evolved over the past decade and a half, as has the Evos chain, with nine locations in four states.

Now, fast-food giants boast about their fresher menu offerings and the nutritional benefits of grilled chicken and specialty salads. And Evos - which quickly narrowed its extensive smoothie selection down to just a few fruit shakes - has gone a bit more mainstream.

The first Evos menu, for example, didn't even have beef as an option. Today, a hormone- and antibiotic-free steak burger is the chain's best seller. And its popularity spurred the most recent addition to the menu: a chopped steak taco.

On the flip-side, Lambridis says he doesn't mind that healthy items that have always been on the Evos menu, such as salads and wraps, are becoming fast-food standards.

"We see it as a good thing for us," says Lambridis, who admits he loves an occasional trip to McDonald's with his family.

But there is one item Evos doesn't want to share with competitors: its Airfries.

The "original guilt-free fries" were created in a tiny, makeshift convection oven, and proved to be a signature item right away. The whole deep-fryer, trans-fat oil controversy other restaurants endured a few years ago was never a problem at Evos, which now bakes the potato slices in a larger oven designed specifically for the restaurant.

Devotees of the chain are self-proclaimed "Evomaniacs." It's not uncommon to see them and others simultaneously praise the chain's concept and criticize food weaknesses at restaurant review Web sites such as www.yelp.com. The vegetarian chili, Airfries and all-natural beef and meatless burgers get lots of props, but there also are complaints they lack enough flavor or are too dry.

The mixed reviews aren't isolated to the food. The company's consistent use of sustainable products - recycled wood paneling, compact florescent lighting and support of wind energy - attracts some and strikes others as little more than a gimmick.

Restaurants that have established themselves as natural and healthy should stick with their success, says Maria Caranfa, a food service analyst for market research company Mintel. Evos knows its niche, and would confuse customers by adding more indulgent foods.

"It would seem like that menu item is out of place," she says.

Lambridis says people who regularly want a greasy burger and fries won't like their meal prepared the Evos way. He estimates no more than 25 percent of those who eat fast food are potential customers. Taste is one reason, and another is that Evos meals run $1 to $2 more than traditional fast-food meals.

"We'll never be Chick-fil-A or McDonald's," he says. "I don't want to be fatalistic, but not everyone can afford to eat healthy."

Lambridis points out that Evos' support of local and natural foods and green business practices started 15 years ago, not when it became cool.

"We're careful not to be preachy," he says. "It's not about what you should eat or how green you should be. It's just about who we are."