Restaurateur's Vision: All-Vegetarian Fast Food

	Where's the Beef?

When James Tu tells people he thinks most vegetarian food tastes awful, it might not sound like such a big deal.

The only problem, however, is the fact that Tu owns and operates one of the country's finest vegetarian dining spots: New York City's Zen Palate restaurant.

What's more, he's planning to take Zen Palate national and introduce a line of vegetarian fast-food outlets, known as Zen Burger, as well as start a line of prepared convenience foods under the name Fro-Zen, which will be distributed through natural-food markets like Whole Foods(WFMI) and Trader Joe's.

Not bad for a former Wall Street money manager -- a profession most usually associated with more carnivorous types.

A Change of Plate

Tu, a native of Taiwan who came to the U.S. in 1993, originally became vegetarian only nine years ago, but then was quickly faced with a dearth of quality vegetarian dining alternatives.

"I looked around and I saw nothing except the Zen Palate restaurant," says Tu, which is notable to many New Yorkers (and even nonvegetarians) for its Asian fusion-style vegetarian food.

Want more? Check out TheStreet.com TV video. Simon Constable has a juicy bite with Zen Palate owner James Tu.

So three years ago, Tu quit his job managing $350 million in assets for investment adviser Gerstein Fisher, formed his own company and purchased Zen Palate.

His vision? Taking the restaurant and its tasty food concepts mainstream, and thus revolutionizing the sector.

It's a noble goal, but at first blush it looks like the demographics are against him.