Fast food is one of America’s biggest industries. Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in three people in the US eat it every single day. The biggest players in the market are, of course, food giants like McDonald’s, KFC, and Wendy’s. But if you’re looking for something a little different from the standard beef burgers, nuggets, and chicken sandwiches, PLNT Burger is worth your attention.
Founded in 2019, the East Coast chain specializes in fast food, but it’s far from your average fast-food chain. Many of its locations are in Whole Foods Markets, and all of its menu items are 100 percent vegan. Yep, even its juicy, beef-like burgers, its tender chicken-free sandwiches, and its crispy nuggets—all made with plants.
PLNT Burger
Below, we’ve picked out a few of our favorite menu items from PLNT Burger, which currently has 13 locations across the US. But first, here’s a little bit more about how the chain came to be.
Who owns PLNT Burger?
PLNT Burger was founded by Top Chef alumnus Spike Mendelsohn back in 2019. He was soon joined by Seth Goldman (the co-founder of Honest Tea and executive chairman at California plant-based meat brand Beyond Meat). Together, they have helped to build PLNT Burger into a vegan fast-food icon, known for its plant-based takes on fast-food menu classics, like fish sandwiches and double cheeseburgers.
Mendelsohn told Cool Hunting he was inspired to start the chain by his wife, a vegan who was tired of mushy bean burgers.
“I cooked these [Beyond Meat] burgers on the grill in my backyard and I was baffled by how well they cooked,” he said. “They had a reaction just like meat and they tasted fabulous. A lightbulb went off in my head. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit, so I emailed Seth and said, ‘You’re onto something here. I’d love to do a little more discovery with you.’”
Luckily, PLNT Burger survived the pandemic, largely thanks to its positioning in Whole Foods Markets (which stayed open amid multiple lockdowns), and it’s still going strong. It still serves beef-like burgers, similar to those made by Beyond Meat, and it recently partnered with plant-based brand Tindle Foods to upgrade its vegan chicken options.
“The PLNT team shares in our belief that bold flavors and sustainable dining can go hand in hand with one another,” JJ Kass of Tindle said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to kick off this partnership, introducing some of our most popular chicken products to PLNT’s communities to create memorable culinary experiences that leave a smaller impact on the planet.”
At the end of 2024, PLNT Burger also revealed expansion plans, when it launched an equity crowdfunding campaign via StartEngine.
PLNT Burger
“PLNT Burger is working to transform the $772 billion fast-food industry with our growing chain of 13 locations, including innovative Whole Foods Market kiosks,” the campaign reads. “Having achieved over $11.2 million in sales in 2023, with all operating locations profitable year-to-date in 2024 through September, we believe we’re proving that delicious, sustainable fast food is possible.”
What’s on the menu at PLNT Burger?
If you’ve got a PLNT Burger near you (or, maybe, one opening soon), you might be wondering what’s on the menu at the vegan fast-food chain. You can find some of our favorites below, including juicy burgers and crispy Green Bean Fries, all of which are offered alongside an extensive range of refreshing organic drinks, salads, sauces, limited edition specials, and more.
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PLNT Burger
1 Meaty vegan burgers
PLNT Burger doesn’t just offer one vegan beef burger—it offers six delicious varieites. Choose from options like the B.I.G., which features an extra large quarter-pound patty, or the classic PLNT Cheeseburger with vegan American cheese. The PLNT Mushroom BBQ Bacon Burger features crispy mushroom-based bacon, while the Patty Melt swaps the bun for griddled potato bread.
PLNT Burger
2 Actual Veggies Burger
Not everyone likes their plant-based burgers to taste like meat, and PLNT Burger understands that. That’s why it offers the Actual Veggies Burger, which, as the name suggests, features a firm (not mushy) vegetable patty with salad and vegan feta in pita bread.
Tindle
3 Chik’n Sandwiches
As mentioned above, both of PLNT Burger’s popular vegan chicken sandwiches are now made with meat from plant-based chicken specialists Tindle. Choose from the standard Crispy Chik’n Sandwich, or if you like a little bit of a kick, opt for the spicy version, which also comes with dairy-free pepperjack cheese and housemade hot sauce.
PLNT Burger
4 Save the Bay Fillet
The McDonald’s classic Filet-O-Fish gets a vegan makeover with PLNT Burger’s Save the Bay Fillet. The crispy ocean-flavored patty is hard to resist, but it’s the housemade vegan tartar sauce that really makes this sandwich a stand-out choice.
PLNT Burgers
5 Vegan nuggets
What fast-food chain doesn’t offer nuggets? The fast-food chain has this base firmly covered with its Lil’ Dippers, which are vegan nuggets served with a variety of housemade sauces, including spicy aioli and garden herb.
PLNT Burger
6 Green Bean Fries
Sure, PLNT Burger’s thick-cut Crispy Herb Fries are a must-try. But you can’t leave the fast-food chain without trying its Green Bean Fries, too. Coated with a blend of quinoa, corn, and flaxseed, they’re deliciously crispy and satisfying. The chain also offers Sweet Potato Crinkles and loaded chili cheese fries, too.
PLNT Burger
7 PLNT Cookies
If you’re the type who needs a little something sweet to finish a meal (ahem, like us), then you can’t skip out on PLNT Burger’s signature cookies. Always baked fresh each day, the addictive sweet treats are available in classic chocolate chip or Carrot-Oat-Pineapple.
For more plant-based stories like this, read:
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast.
