Sophomore Natalie Tanchon goes to Chipotle about once every two weeks, but she rarely eats at traditional fast food restaurants like McDonald’s or Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC).

“Chipotle, I feel like, is more of a healthy option—it can be, at least—compared to other fast food restaurants, but it still has the efficiency of a fast food restaurant. I would describe it as a better alternative to fast food, and it’s better food. It tastes better, and you’ll appreciate going,” Tanchon said.

Tanchon’s dining preferences reflect the decline of traditional fast food across the nation in lieu of a rise in newer fast food restaurants that seem to offer customizable, healthier and fresher food. According to businessinsider.com, in the third quarter of 2014, Chipotle’s sales grew 19.8 percent. McDonald’s global sales, in contrast, fell by 3.3 percent, affected in part by “underperformance in the U.S.,” according to the McDonald’s official website.

“I think the type of restaurant has shifted from other people in the kitchen doing the work to a lot of the consumer’s control; you either put your own meal together or a lot more pieces that are visible, a lot more kitchens that are visible than before. Also, you’ll see more grilled options, or the nutrition facts posted in the restaurant, the calorie information on the food they’re serving, some of that transparency,” dietitian Jessica Rorick said. “It may not be specifically changing the food or they may only be changing one characteristic about the food, for example the oil the fries are fried in doesn’t change the fact that they’re French fries but people feel better about going there.”

Chipotle, along with restaurants like Panera  Bread and Noodles & Company, is an example of a “fast casual” restaurant, which attempts to combine higher quality food and the atmosphere of a typical sit-down restaurant with affordability and quick service.

“When I think about regular fast food like McDonald’s, I think greasy, dirty and not clean or fresh, frozen, artificial, something along those lines, just nothing positive,” Tanchon said, “Compared to other restaurants, Chipotle just has really good ingredients, I feel like they’re fresh and good, and the workers are always really nice and it’s a really good atmosphere and it’s a good place to get food out.”

Sophomore Stella Mo also said restaurants like Chipotle don’t give the impression of a traditional fast food restaurant.

“When I think of McDonald’s, I think of greasy, oily food that causes health problems. McDonald’s is already known for producing extremely unhealthy food, and that impression is set into people’s minds. I feel like no matter what McDonald’s does to change, they will always be known for their unhealthy food. Newer restaurants like Chipotle seem much healthier and much fancier, and they don’t really give off the impression that they’re fast food restaurants,” Mo said.

However, these new fast casual restaurants are not necessarily healthier. A Chipotle burrito bowl has almost double saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium of a McDonald’s Big Mac. According to Health.com, McDonald’s is the eighth healthiest fast food restaurant in America. The rankings are based on the use of healthy fats, sodium counts, availability of nutritional information and use of organic produce. Chipotle is ranked sixth, and Panera is ranked number one, but both offer food classified as  “danger zones,” such as Panera’s calorie and fat-laden pastries on center display.

Rorick said, “Some of (the fast casual restaurants) can be healthier. The options that are offered have more room to be healthier, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that everything they offer is automatically healthier.”

Many fast casual restaurants have customizable menus; the customer plays a big role in deciding what ingredients go into his or her food. For example, at Chipotle, the customer chooses every component of his or her meal, and there are 655,360 different menu combinations. In comparison, McDonald’s has around 150 menu items.

“I think this allows the restaurant to make the customer happy, but the restaurant isn’t at fault, or perceived to have made any mistakes if the customer makes a bad combination,” Rorick said.

Tanchon said, “You can get whatever you want, and instead of having to choose from specific options and things that can’t come off the food, like if you didn’t want tomatoes or a special sauce at a traditional fast food restaurant at Chipotle you can just go down the line and tell them what you want specifically. They have lots of options, and they’re very willing to do whatever you want. Like my order isn’t even on the menu, but you can still get it and they’re willing to make it and everything.”

Rorick said people are more aware of their health than before, and more willing to pay more for better quality food.

“I would say people are more clear about fast food being more of a treat versus the ‘90s and the beginning of the 2000s. It was an easy way to have dinner, more of a whole meal replacement more frequently; I feel like we’re getting away from that again,” she said, “Also, I think the threshold for what people expect to pay is going up, so anything under $10 may be deemed an affordable lunch if they consider the food worthwhile for that money.”

Tanchon said, “I feel like people are focusing on their body images more than ever these days, and I feel like eating healthier is something that everyone is wanting to do or trying to do.”

However, Mo said she would not be willing to pay more for seemingly healthier food, despite others moving toward healthier options.

“I think society in general is moving towards healthier fast food because they’re starting to notice what they eat. People want healthier options, but at the same time want to be satisfied with the taste of fast food,” Mo said. “I would probably choose McDonald’s over a better quality fast food. I don’t eat out a lot and haven’t had much of a variety of fast food, so having McDonald’s tastes good to me. I think I’m the type of person who just eats to eat. I’ve never really been aware of what I eat since I’ve always had a high metabolism.”

Marketing also plays a large role in the rise of new fast food restaurants, according to Rorick.

She said, “I feel like people in marketing (or) PR are learning more about what people want to hear and what they want to feel and think about where they choose to eat, so they know that if they can get them more as a frequent customer or someone who is happy with the establishment that’s likely to come back, regardless of the specific food experience. The food has to be good enough, but excellent food doesn’t necessarily keep people coming back.”

According to Tanchon, the way new restaurants use social media can also contribute to their success.

“Girls will—I don’t know, maybe guys too—post a picture of their burrito or burrito bowl and be like ‘blessed’ or whatever on Twitter and Instagram and people will be like ‘Wow, I’m really in the mood for Chipotle’ and tweet it and then go get it,” Tanchon said. “Especially teens, now that they’re driving, and around 16 or 17, you’re driving and you have a job, you have money, and you can go get Chipotle whenever you want to. I think that social media helps advertise because people are posting about Chipotle constantly and Chipotle tweets constantly too.”

Rorick said, “I think social media makes (restaurants) more accessible to people who use a lot of social media, particularly those 30 and under. It makes new deals or specials more visible without increasing much of their advertising, which I imagine would be a very effective marketing scheme.”

Tanchon also said she thinks the popularity of new fast casual restaurants will not die down, despite the public’s tendency to go through phases with food.

“I think that it will be right now and in the future, the whole customizable, fresh ingredients, you can get whatever you want is really popular because it’s so personalized to yourself and you can get whatever you want,” she said. “It really is just whatever you want, and you can get it whenever you want and it really is just for you.”