Weighs the same as a duck

It's been a tough month in San Francisco for Tom Colicchio.

As I reported a couple of weeks ago, he'd like to open four new locations of his deli 'wichcraft in as many months, expanding beyond the San Francisco Centre location, which would serve as a commissary.

But first he had to deal with a power outage at Westfield Centre that pushed his opening back a day, costing him roughly 1,000 covers.

And now there's Michael Bauer, who on his blog called Colicchio's $10-ish sandwiches "very oily," "tasted like it had languished in the refrigerator for four days" and "so tough I couldn't bite through it." In the end, he decides it's not worth the cost, and many of his coworkers (and blog commenters) seem to agree.

I haven't eaten at 'wichcraft myself, but I face a similar value question with another upscale fast food place, Sellers Market, in the financial district. The place seems to be constantly busy, but I end up spending $12 on a personal-size pizza or nearly as much on breakfast egg flatbread thing and asking myself whether it is really worth it.

But from a business standpoint, the concept of selling more sustainable, locally raised, organic food seems to have really taken off, presumably among those in a higher income bracket than me. Sellers Market is due to open another location, and Colicchio has had a lot of success with 'wichcraft in New York.