This Los Angeles-based vegan restaurant is redefining fast food.
- Driving the news: TikToker @plantbasedparadise first uploaded a video about a vegan restaurant called Mr. Charlie’s back in February, showing the storefront’s red and yellow building design that looked nearly identical to McDonald’s.
- The video racked up over 3 million views and countless reaction and review videos from other users on the app, including “Truth Hurts” singer Lizzo, who claimed the fries had the “McDonald’s salt” taste to them.
- The restaurant features items like “Frowny meals” and vegan “Not a Double Double” sandwiches made with a plant-based Impossible burger patty.
What they’re saying: One of the co-founders of Mr. Charlie’s talked to Fox 11 about the company’s mission, saying, “We are breaking the stigma on vegan plant-based food. A lot of people have got this thing that vegan food doesn’t taste very good, and it’s actually pretty exceptional.”
- When asked about the company’s almost identical look to McDonald’s, Mr. Charlie’s marketing agency Clyde & Seventh responded, “McWho?” per Daily Dot.
Menu: According to its official website, Mr. Charlie’s menu is simple and straightforward — it offers four different sandwiches, as well as nuggets and fries.
- Not a Hamburger: Impossible burger with pickles, onion, ketchup and mustard. Costs $6.
- Not a Cheeseburger: Impossible burger, vegan cheese, pickles, onion, ketchup and mustard. Costs $7. (You can also purchase a Double Not which comes with two patties instead of one.)
- Not a Chicken Sandwich: A plant-based patty with lettuce and vegan mayo. Costs $8.
- Not Chicken Nuggets: Plant-based nuggets that taste like chicken. Costs $7.
- British Chips: Just fries. Costs $5.
- Frowny Meal: 4 nuggets, a “Not a Double Double,” fries and a drink. Costs $17.
So, is the food good? According to its 4.8-star review on DoorDash with over 1,000 positive comments, the majority of people say yes, it is.
- One reviewer commented on its similarity to McDonald’s, saying, “The food is amazing!! It honestly tastes just like McD’s. My husband and I LOVE it.”
- Another reviewer commented that the food tasted “really good,” saying, “If you’re vegan and craving some yummy fast food, this is the place! The not a double double hit the spot for me!”
- Vegans and plant-based dieters alike went to Twitter to share their thoughts on the fast-food joint, with one user rating their meal “100/10 best thing I’ve ever eaten.”
Does McDonald’s have vegan options? According to Vegconomist, “McDonald’s itself has been rolling out its long-awaited McPlant burger around the world, with a trial of the Beyond Meat-produced burger recently expanded to hundreds of new locations in Texas and California.”
Details: Mr. Charlie’s first opened five months ago in downtown L.A. and was started by co-founders Taylor and Charlie Kim, per the Los Angeles Times.