There are some major changes happening at the iconic vegan fast-casual chain.
Have you noticed an uptick in restaurant openings and closures? It’s not just you. Lingering effects of the pandemic and the ever-evolving vegan industry are causing us to welcome and part with restaurants on the regular. Most recently, the powerhouse vegan chain Veggie Grill closed several locations. But on a positive note, the company continues to innovate at its remaining restaurants with the launch of new menu items featuring Yo Egg.
One of the First Fast-Casual Plant-Based Restaurants
Veggie Grill first debuted in Irvine, California back in 2006. As one of the first fast-casual vegan restaurants to open, Veggie Grill was a game changer for the plant-based community. Over the years, the company grew alongside the vegan movement. With almost 30 locations at the start of 2023 and two spin-off concepts (Stand-Up Burgers and Mas Veggies Taqueria), Veggie Grill showed no signs of slowing down. But the pandemic was hard on all restaurants, and Veggie Grill just closed locations across California.
Veggie Grill Closures
Recent Veggie Grill closures include locations in Walnut Creek, Berkeley, Mountain View, Topanga, Downtown LA, Irvine, and more. Veggie Grill Founder and CEO T.K. Pillan told VegOut, “We began 2023 accepting the reality that we had to quickly adapt our business. The dramatic reduction in the office lunch market due to hybrid work routines made a subset of the leases we signed pre-COVID no longer economically viable. To strengthen the Veggie Grill brand for the future, we made the difficult but necessary decision to close these restaurants. This allows us to focus our efforts on a right-sized fleet of 17 restaurants with 12 that continue to operate across California. After a stabilization period, our goal is to grow again from a stronger base.”
Courtesy of Veggie Grill
Veggie Grill New Menu Items Featuring Yo Egg Vegan Egg Products
With focus on their 17 remaining locations, Veggie Grill continues to innovate alongside the vegan movement. Most recently, Veggie Grill debuted three new menu items featuring Yo Egg’s exciting new vegan egg products. This marks Yo Egg’s first nationwide launch.
The first new menu item? The Yo Poached Egg Avo Toast, featuring toasted sourdough topped with avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a Yo Egg poached egg encrusted in everything bagel seasoning. Next up, the Huevos Rancheros Bowl—a tasty combination of brown rice, ranchero beans, fried corn tortillas, pepper jack cheese, salsa, chopped cilantro, and a sunny-side up Yo Egg. Last but not least, the Yo Egg Kimchi Burger! This handheld contains a seasoned Beyond Meat patty layered with sesame aioli, lettuce, cucumbers, kimchi, and a sunny-side up Yo Egg between a sesame seed bun. Check out these three new dishes for a limited time at all Veggie Grill locations nationwide!
“We will be featuring several additional new menu items in the coming months. With these closures behind us, we are now ready to make exciting [things] happen again at Veggie Grill,” shared Pillan.
For more information, visit VeggieGrill.com.
