Vegan Big Mac-Maker Opens Brick-and-Mortar

Canada-based vegan company Globally Local will open the country’s first all-vegan fast food restaurant in mid-January 2017. Proprietor James McInnes found success earlier this year when he developed the “Big McInnes,” a vegan version of McDonald’s Big Mac, which he sold on the menu of his McVegans food truck and at local festivals. While several Canadian restaurants currently feature fast food fare on their menus—including Los Angeles transplant Doomie’s Home Cookin’ in Toronto—McInnes promises his concept will be different. “We are looking at fast food from the traditional perspective,” McInnes tells VegNews, “where our food is quick and convenient, priced affordably, and served in disposable packaging—allowing you to easily eat in or take out, and our restaurant environment is casual and family-friendly.” The 80-seat restaurant will serve menu items made with high-quality, mostly organic ingredients such as a No-Egg Muffins, pancakes, and French toast for breakfast; Bacun Quarter Pounders with Cheese, Beer Battered “Fish” Sandwiches, and their popular copycat burgers for lunch; and a kids’ menu comprised of grilled cheese sandwiches, burgers, and hot dogs. McInnes plans to expand the brand to franchise locations with drive-thrus in other parts of Canada as well as the United States in the future. “Our goal is to show the world that anything is possible when you cook exclusively with plants,” McInnes says. “We want to encourage people to eat more plant-based food by providing a convenient, affordable, and tasty option using the already established fast food business model.” Globally Local will host a soft opening a few days before Christmas in downtown London, Ontario.