Carlsbad-Based Daphne's Reinvents Itself With New Name, Look and Menu

If you've visited , formerly known as Daphne's Greek Cafe, you may have noticed it has a more vibrant feel. The Carlsbad restaurant was the first in the chain's 60 restaurants to be remodeled.

CEO Bill Trefethen explained why they decided to revamp their image.

“We've got to stay current. Daphne's is 20 years old, but our brand never evolved. There wasn't Chipolte or Panera back then. We have to be competitive,” Trefethen said.

In order to be competitive, they decided to keep most of their menu but added healthier options like a California Greek salad and grilled salmon. Trefethen said they are also taste tasting cracked whole wheat pita bread and plan to roll out four new salads over the next few months.

“The bigger picture is that 65 percent of our customers are women. We want to provide healthy food that tastes good. We're also lowering our sodium levels, which are already lower than most chains,” Trefethen said. 

Daphe's headquarters are in Carlsbad on Fleet Street. Much of these new decisions are being made right here in the city of Carlsbad. Daphe's is also trying to be more local.

“We're working on using local artists' artwork in our stores and having an eclectic mix of music by local musicians play on our store playlists” Trefethen said. 

As for the name change, Trefethen says Daphne's is staying true to it's California roots while remaining the largest Greek food chain the country. He's hoping the name Daphne's California Greek will steer more men through the doors who otherwise might have been weary to explore food beyond their normal palate of American and Mexican food.

Trefethen says the Carlsbad location is one of the chain's “longtime stores and middle of the road” when it comes to sales, but so far with the remodel, “comments have been overwhelmingly positive.”