Should You Open a Vegan Franchise Restaurant?

Becoming the owner of a vegan restaurant franchise might sound like a dream—a chance to marry purpose with profit, tap into a fast-growing category, and bring plant-based food to a new corner of your community. And with a growing number of national brands offering franchise opportunities, it has never been easier to get started. But should you?

As demand for plant-based meals continues to outpace broader food trends, more vegan companies are looking to scale, not by building every new store themselves, but by empowering franchisees to do it for them. Slutty Vegan, Cinnaholic, MidnighTreats, and Tacotarian are just a few of the brands currently seeking partners. Entry fees, startup costs, and support packages vary, but the opportunity to buy into a recognizable brand with built-in marketing and systems appeals to entrepreneurs of all backgrounds—including many who are new to food service.

Slutty Vegan

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According to Bloomberg Intelligence, the global plant-based food market could top $162 billion by 2030, a fivefold increase from 2020. In the US, sales of plant-based foods rose six percent in 2021 to reach $7.4 billion, according to the Good Food Institute. Fast-casual and dessert categories are driving much of this growth, with consumers eager for meatless burgers, dairy-free pastries, and indulgent vegan comfort food.

Is the vegan franchise model right for you?

Franchising offers aspiring business owners a shortcut to brand recognition and operational know-how. In exchange for upfront fees and ongoing royalties, franchisees gain access to established menus, marketing support, sourcing networks, and a tested playbook for success. For vegan concepts in particular—where sourcing can be trickier and brand loyalty runs high—this structure can provide a significant advantage.

Cinnaholic, the gourmet vegan cinnamon roll chain that first rose to fame on Shark Tank, has built a robust franchise program with more than 80 locations across North America. Startup costs range from $188,000 to $368,000, and new franchisees receive support with site selection, training, and grand opening promotion. The menu is streamlined and focused, allowing for low overhead and consistent execution.

Cinnaholic

MidnighTreats, a Texas-based vegan cookie company, takes a similar approach. Its simple model focuses on late-night hours and delivery-friendly operations, with limited space requirements and staffing needs. This appeals to younger franchisees or those looking for a side-hustle business with scalable growth potential.

What sets vegan franchises apart?

Unlike conventional food brands, vegan restaurant franchises often come with a built-in mission: to make plant-based food more accessible and appealing. That positioning has cultural power, particularly among younger consumers. A 2023 Nielsen study found that 73 percent of millennials are willing to spend more on sustainable brands.

But the mission can also bring challenges. Ingredient sourcing, staff training, and marketing all need to align with customer expectations for ethics, sustainability, and quality. That means a level of transparency and brand consistency that not all operators are prepared for.

Madelynne Boykin

Slutty Vegan, perhaps the highest-profile vegan franchise in the country, has turned that challenge into a strength. Founder Pinky Cole has made the brand synonymous with indulgent, attitude-filled burgers and long lines, drawing in vegan and omnivorous eaters alike. “I wanted to make vegan food fun and accessible,” Cole told Forbes. With investment from Jay-Z and Chris Paul and $25 million in Series A funding secured in 2022, the company has expanded rapidly across the Southeast and beyond.

How much does it cost to open a vegan franchise?

The price tag for franchises varies widely. At Tacotarian, a fast-casual plant-based Mexican chain based in Las Vegas, initial investment ranges from $352,200 to $709,200, including a $40,000 franchise fee. Cinnaholic offers a lower barrier to entry, while larger concepts like Slutty Vegan have not publicly disclosed exact numbers but likely run higher given their scale and real estate requirements.

These fees typically include training, equipment packages, initial marketing, and access to proprietary systems. Franchisees are also responsible for ongoing royalties, which generally fall between five and eight percent of gross sales.

Tacotarian

While those numbers can be daunting, established vegan franchises offer efficiencies that may be hard to replicate independently. Kristen Corral, co-founder of Tacotarian, says the company has spent years developing systems to help operators run consistently high-quality restaurants. “We’ve built up so many systems and processes over the last six years to make these restaurants run so consistent and with the quality that we know that our customers want,” she said in an interview with Franchise Times.

Franchisees don’t need to be vegan or even come from a restaurant background, Corral added. What matters most is commitment to the brand. “You have to be excited about being part of the community and owning your own business […] We love people that are embedded in their communities and that want to work with charities that align with our brand values.”

Who should franchise a vegan restaurant?

Whether or not franchising makes sense depends on your goals, budget, and appetite for structure. Entrepreneurs with strong local networks and a passion for mission-driven food may thrive in these systems. Those hoping to build something entirely from scratch or deviate from a set menu and brand identity may be better off launching their own concept.

Carlos Corral, who co-founded Tacotarian with Kristen Corral and Dan and Regina Simmons, said the work requires deep dedication.

“The restaurant business is not an easy one. You really have to like it,” he said.

Prior to launching the company, the team worked together for more than 15 years at other restaurants, gaining the experience needed to scale.

Today, Tacotarian has six locations and a clear vision for its future, even if it’s still selective about who gets to represent the brand. “Of course, I would love to see 100, 150 locations in five years. Everybody does,” Kristen Corral said. “So we need to start working even harder than we have so far.”

What to ask before you sign on

If you’re considering a vegan franchise, experts suggest starting with these questions:

• What are the total startup costs, including real estate, training, and equipment?

• How much flexibility do you have in menu, design, and operations?

• What support does the franchisor provide, and how do existing franchisees rate it?

• Is the supply chain reliable for plant-based ingredients?

• What are the brand’s values, and do they align with your own?

“Owning a franchise isn’t the same as being a business owner,” says the Federal Trade Comission (FTC). It warns that franchisors may control many aspects of your business, “for example, your site location, your sales territory, the design of your retail establishment, and the products or services you can (and can’t) sell.” 

And, it warns that the only sure thing in franchising or any other business model is that “there’s no such thing as a sure thing.” The FTC says spending your nest egg for a national name isn’t a guarantee of success. But with more consumers than ever choosing plant-based meals and dozens of franchise opportunities now available, owning a vegan restaurant franchise is no longer a niche dream.

“Certainly, your skills and commitment factor into the equation, but so do a lot of variables beyond your control—demand for the product or service, competition, and local and national economic conditions, to name just a few,” says the FTC. And, like any investment, opening a franchise demands research, rigor, and a realistic view of what ownership entails.

Vegan franchise opportunities in 2025

According to the website Yu Vegan Life, the following are the vegan franchise opportunities available in 2025.

Australia

• Lord of the Fries: Vegan fast-food restaurant

Austria

• Swing Kitchen: Vegan fast-food restaurant

Canada

• Buddha-full: Vegan café

• Copper Branch: Vegan fast-food restaurant

• Lettuce Love Café: Vegan café

• Odd Burger: Vegan fast-food restaurant

• The Green Moustache: Vegan café and juice bar

• Vegholic: Vegan fast-food restaurant

China

• Planet Permaculture: Vegan restaurant

• Qing Su: Vegan buffet, vegan shop-in-shop/counter, vegan online shop, vegan burger, and yogurt bar

• Qing’an: Vegan yogurt bar

• Su Man Xiang: Vegan buffet

• Yi Ye Yi Shijie: Vegan hotpot restaurant

Czech Republic

• Forky’s: Vegan fast-food restaurant, street food box, food court in shopping center, stone branch

France

• Furahaa: Vegan fast-food restaurant

• Green Farmers: Vegan fast-food restaurant, vegan station, vegan delivery only

• Land&Monkeys: Vegan bakery

• Vélicious Burger: Vegan fast-food restaurant

Germany

• Vincent Vegan: Vegan fast-food restaurant

Italy

• Flower Burger: Vegan fast-food restaurant

Lithuania

• Rosehip: Vegan bistro, vegan kebabs

Netherlands

• SOIL Vegan Cafe: Vegan café

• Vegan Heroes: Vegan fast-food restaurant

• Vegan Junk Food Bar: Vegan fast-food restaurant

Philippines

• Umani: Vegan fast-food restaurant

Singapore

• Veganburg: Vegan fast-food restaurant

United Kingdom

• Ahimsa The Vegan Cafe: Vegan café

• Floozie Cookies: Vegan bakery

• M’eat The Vegans: Vegan fast-food restaurant

• Watson’s Vegan Bar: Vegan bar

United States

• Cinnaholic: Vegan bakery

• Cosmic Veggies: Vegan juice bar

• Creme de la Creme Vegan Spa: Vegan spa

• Daily Veg: Vegan fast-food restaurant

• Greens and Grains: Vegan café and juice bar

• MidnighTreats: Vegan bakery

• Mr. Charlie’s: Vegan fast-food restaurant

• NuVegan Cafe: Vegan café

• Slutty Vegan: Vegan fast-food restaurant

• Tarantino’s Vegan: Vegan Italian restaurant

• The Modern Vegan: Vegan restaurant

• Vegan District: Vegan Asian food restaurant

• Vegan Fine Brands: Vegan fine foods store with cafe, vegan fine café, and vegan fine body retail store

• Yoga-urt: Vegan yogurt bar