• April 2, 2009

Einstein Bros. Bagels and Noah's Bagels have announced limited-time "Lighter Fare" menus featuring three lunch items and two breakfast items that each contain fewer than 400 calories.

The lunch items, available through June 30 at participating locations, are an ancho chicken wedge, Mediterranean turkey sandwich and Mediterranean grilled chicken salad.

The breakfast items (which are orderable throughout the day), will be available July 1 through Sept. 29. These include Einstein Bros. and Noah's versions of an egg white sandwich with turkey sausage, and an egg white Florentine wedge with turkey sausage.

Pricing varies by restaurant location.

Existing/standing low-cal/low fat menu items offered by the two quick-casual chains include fruit salad (140 calories), fruit/yogurt parfait (230 calories), chicken noodle soup (110 calories) and turkey chili (220 calories).

The two chains' restaurants are operated/licensed by NASDAQ-listed Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, Inc., which also primarily franchises locations under the Manhattan Bagel brand. In total, the chains comprise 600 restaurants in 36 states and the District of Columbia.--Karlene Lukovitz