La Piadineria, Italy’s leading “fast casual” restaurant group, has landed in the United States. Its first restaurant opened on February 19 in the Flatiron neighborhood of Midtown. “Fast casual” dining refers to a format halfway between traditional fast food and a classic sit-down restaurant, combining speed and affordable prices with higher-quality food and ambiance compared to standard fast food. Prices start at $11, a couple of dollars less than competing fast-casual chains. For now, the piadine are made with dough shipped fresh (at four degrees Celsius, not frozen) from the company’s plant in Montirone, in the province of Brescia, Italy. “Soon we will produce the dough in a lab on the floor below the restaurant, which will be able to supply up to seven restaurants in New York,” managers explain. La Piadineria’s formula centers on offering an artisanal Italian product, prepared on the spot by rolling out fresh dough and filling it with top-quality Italian ingredients, from prosciutto crudo to stracchino, from mortadella to pesto, and more. The brand aims to open three or four additional restaurants in New York this year before expanding in 2027 to other cities along the East Coast to maximize synergies.