Vapiano Dallas

Vapiano, a "fresh-casual" chain from Germany, opened its first Texas outpost in Mockingbird Station. The eatery, which has approximately 30 locations worldwide (including four in the United States), serves house-made pasta, fire-roasted pizzas and gourmet salads, each prepared in its own specialty station. One high-tech innovation: Diners are given a card embedded with a smart chip that they use to track orders at each station and total the bill before leaving. The Dallas franchise is owned by former Rockwall city councilman Tim McCallum, who plans to open nine other locations through Dallas-Fort Worth in the next decade.