Earlier quoted context omitted.
I never understood why vegetables are difficult to get as a "fast food" format. With salt pepper oil and heat, they can be very tasty. There has to be a huge market for Jack in the box equivalent for healthy eating. Most of the existing fast casual chains miss the mark. Chipotle comes to mind, but it's still mostly grains and protein and still lacking in vegetables, beyond the optional pico de gallo for your burrito.
Fast food is engineered to hit all the sweet spots that our primate brains desire. No matter how delicious my asparagus or salad can be it's difficult to compete with a Quarter Pounder.
My thought experiment of a chain wouldn't directly compete with people choose McDonald's every single time. It'd be for people who've seen the light, and know you can't eat McDonald's, sustainably, indefinitely. That population isn't everyone, but there's a sizable number of consumers who are diet conscious. That's the target market. While McDonald's food is designed to have a certain effect on your palette, you haven't appreciated a skilled cook's entrees if you think there's no realistic competition. Deep, rich, meaningful flavor could absolutely compete against the engineered taste of McDonalds.