A vegan fast-casual chain you've never heard of is expanding nationwide — and that should scare legacy brands

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/photos-and-review-veggie-grill-2017-6
June 04, 2017 at 07:00PM

Steve Heeley, CEO of the healthy fast-casual chain Veggie Grill, is betting he can make vegan food not just palatable, but "craveable."

Founded in 2007, Veggie Grill serves burgers, sandwiches, and salads that have fewer calories than traditional fast-food — and happen to be vegan. The chain takes familiar foods, like buffalo wings and Caesar salad, and swaps out ingredients with plant-based substitutes. 

"There are certain perceptions around the word 'vegan.' It means you have to deny yourself or eat brown foods," Heeley, a vegan, tells Business Insider. Not so at Veggie Burger.

The company has 28 locations in California, Washington, and Oregon. Thanks to a new $22 million round of funding last fall, Heeley expects the company to double in size by 2020.

We stopped by a Veggie Grill location in San Jose, California, to see if it meets the hype.

SEE ALSO: We visited a fast-food chain that's like McDonald's for vegans

Don't let the name fool you. Veggie Grill is not necessarily going for the vegan crowd.

Vegans make up a small slice of the US population, about 2%. But the number of meat-eaters incorporating more plant-based foods into their diets, or "flexitarians," is rising.

Source: Science of Us 

So while the vegan population might not be large enough to sustain an upstart fast-casual chain amid competition from McDonald's and KFC, a growing number of millennials might.

Veggie Grill wants to make it fun and easy to eat like a vegan. The company swaps familiar ingredients for plant-based alternatives from startups like Kite Hill and Beyond Meat.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider