Back in 2019, Top Chef alum Spike Mendelsohn had an idea: fast food, but made with plants. So, he launched Plnt Burger. Seth Goldman, a former Beyond Meat executive, came on board, and Plnt Burger has been slinging vegan burgers, fries, and nuggets ever since at 13 locations in the Northeastern US.
Plnt Burger has hit its stride, operating inside Whole Foods Market stores from Alexandria to Boston. But now Mendelsohn and Goldman are branching out. At the end of 2026, the founders will open Plnt Cafe, a brand-new, standalone counter-service eatery in Washington, DC.
The concept is similar to Plnt Burger. Everything is plant-based, of course, but alongside burgers and fries, the menu will emphasize vegetables and whole foods, with dishes such as chili crisp smashed cucumber salads and al pastor cauliflower tacos (first developed for Mendelsohn’s digital-only plant-based taqueria concept Knockout T@KOS).
Mendelsohn and Goldman are confident they’re onto a winner. They’ve road-tested most of the Plnt Cafe menu items at Plnt Burger locations and received positive feedback.
Plnt Burger
The new café will also serve the Chik’n Funguy sandwich, a fan favorite that spent five years on the Plnt Burger menu featuringbattered and fried oyster mushrooms, lettuce, pickles, and garden herb mayonnaise.
“Our goal has been to make plant-based food something everyone can enjoy, whether you’re vegan or simply looking to eat more vegetables,” said Chris Treloar, CEO of PLNT Burger, in a statement.
The move taps into consumer interest in whole-food options. In 2026, an L.E.K. Consulting survey of 2,000 Americans found that more than 70 percent of respondents prioritized familiar ingredients, while two-thirds sought minimally processed products.
“We’ve built a brand around burgers that people genuinely love, but we’ve always known there was an opportunity to do so much more.”
Plnt Cafe isn’t giving up on making plants mainstream
It’s been a difficult time for vegan restaurants, with closures dominating the headlines. But there has also been a flurry of new openings.
The Plnt Cafe announcement follows news of Denver favorite Vegan Van’s move to a new brick-and-mortar home, a forthcoming vegan Mexican restaurant in Baltimore, and beloved vegan institution Counter Culture’s return to Austin.
Rendering by Plnt Cafe
Ultimately, Mendelsohn and Goldman hope to keep making plants mainstream by growing Plnt Cafe into a sister chain to their original fast-food concept.
“Vegan customers aren’t going anywhere,” Treloar, who blames the recent run of closures on a “hype curve,” told National Restaurant News. “It’s not like they stopped eating plant-based. They’re just running out of options.”
For now, the first Plnt Cafe is coming soon to Washington, DC’s Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood.
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast.
