VALENTINE, Neb. - Fast-casual is one of the fastest-growing restaurant concepts in the industry. According to research from Technomic, fast-casual sales in 2023 grew by more than 11 percent, followed by fast-food at eight percent and family dining at six percent.

Now, a Sandhills community is getting its first taste of fast-casual.

Brayden Stec might not be a professional food critic, but he’s among the first to try not just a new restaurant in his hometown of Valentine — but a new restaurant concept for the community.

“It’s perfectly salty. Pretty good,” said Stec.

“A lot of people have been talking about Bull Market opening in school. I was like, ‘I’m going there tonight,’” he added.

Stec and other youth wrestlers got a special sneak peek at Bull Market — the town’s first fast-casual restaurant — before it officially opens in May.

Bull Market is owned by Robert and Lacey Joseph, a husband-and-wife team who say they wanted something faster than a sit-down restaurant, but fresher than traditional fast food.

“One of the reasons that I don’t chose fast food often because sometimes there isn’t something that I want on the menu, so I was really fighting for the lighter entrees like a salad or a wrap,” said Lacey Joseph.

Robert Joseph said the concept is designed for busy families like theirs.

“Especially in the last five years people have chosen to go out more, but maybe at a price point some of the fancy dining isn’t for everybody and certainly not every night, but also it’s important to get it fast because if you have kids, they’re involved in everything. You’re going up and down the road,” said Robert.

So what’s the difference between fast-food and fast-casual? Fast-food focuses on speed and price, while fast-casual still moves quickly — but offers fresher ingredients and a slightly more upscale experience. Think Panera Bread, Chipotle or Five Guys.

“We went to essentially fast-food school to be able to do a few things very, very well,” said Robert.

While the restaurant is new, the name Bull Market is familiar. The Josephs previously owned a restaurant with that name that burned down a few years ago.

“Not only quality burgers, we’re doing hand-breaded chicken strips. If you wanted to bring the crew in here, you could also watch the game and have a beer, which is a little unique to fast-food, but fast-casual is kind of catching up to the idea that people are into that,” said Robert.

A restaurant idea that Brayden — and his taste buds — are excited to have added to the menu in Valentine.