It’s no surprise that fast-casual is an exploding sector of the restaurant economy. But as more discerning diners go outside the home for several, if not all, meals each day, the care and quality that goes into some fast-casual establishments can be downright shocking.

Comfortable seating vignettes, chummy atmospheres, and (often) beer and wine motivate diners to linger, making fast-casual restaurants a new “third-space” to relax that isn’t work or home. Fast-casual restaurants don’t mind diners squatting because, during crowded times, customers take their social cues from each other (i.e., angry stares) to determine when to leave. Not many claim the right to dawdle when the check was $12, so turnover is inherently high.

Last month Industree, a Washington, D.C.