French Designer Pierre Cardin, 60, takes pride in having brought haute couture to the masses. Now he wants to do the same with haute cuisine. This month Cardin, who owns the famed Maxim's restaurant in Paris, opened a fast-food spinoff called Minim's for gourmet diners whose tastes are richer than their pocketbooks. Says he: "It is a democratic effort to give everybody a chance at happiness."
Located on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore, Paris' poshest shopping avenue, Minim's features the miniwich, a two-bite sandwich for seven francs (about $1) that is stuffed with such...