LYFE Kitchen, a vegatairain & vegan friendly food chain.

Founder Stephen Sidwell and CEO Mike Roberts -formerly McDonalds Executives- have teamed up with Oprah’s celebrity chefs in a healthy fast food restaurant chain concept and recently announced plans to launch LYFE ("Love Your Food Everyday") Kitchen, a transformational, socially responsible "lyfestyle" brand that will open in Palo Alto, Calif., this summer.

Roberts, who previously oversaw more than 31,000 McDonald's restaurants in 118 countries, resigned as president and chief operating officer of the fast-food empire in 2006. He was approached by Sidwell, an investment banker, and the two agreed that the time was ripe for a healthy fast-food option.

Chicago-based Lyfe plans to open its first restaurant in northern California late this year, anticipating as many as 250 restaurants nationally over the next five years.

Of course, if the food doesn't taste good, nobody will buy it — no matter how well it's branded. To complete that part of the puzzle, Roberts and Sidwell turned to Chef Art Smith, former personal chef to Oprah Winfreyand a two-time James Beard Foundation Award winner. They also recruited vegan chef Tal Ronnen, author of The Conscious Cook; both celebrity chefs to Oprah Winfrey contributed to the development of the menu.  Not all vegan, the menu will include Niman ranch grass fed beef burgers alongside Gardein veggie burger options. All the desserts will be dairy free.

Though skeptics say healthy fast food on this scale is too much of a niche market, the Lyfe team is confident that tides are turning in their favor. San Francisco recently banned McDonald’s Happy Meals, Disney World turned over a former McDonald’s location to a vegan and gluten-free bakery and with campaigns such as Mrs. Obama’s Chef Moves initiative bringing healthier school lunches to students, consumer demand for healthier options has never been higher.

While having some former McDonald's executives on board (their chief communications officer is also a former 20-year veteran of the company), isn't without some irony, it makes perfect business sense. Why not build a new healthy fast-food empire using the lessons and experienced garnered from the previous?

"With two celebrated, taste-making chefs and a talented team of leaders and advisers, we believe LYFE Kitchen is a response to one of America's most significant, unmet needs: the consumer's demand for delicious, affordable food that is good for you," said Roberts. "We also plan to become a part of the Palo Altocommunity and begin giving back right away." 

"Every decision we make — from using eco-friendly building and packaging materials, to ingredients we source, to providing an engaged service team and partnering with local nonprofits — will engage and inspire our guests, and ultimately, have a tremendous impact," explained Sidwell. 

We'll find out just how successful the new menu is this summer. Till then, vegan and vegetarians hoping for some quick food options while on the road can remain optimistic.