Inside Mr. Charlie’s, the vegan McDonald’s that wants to redefine fast food

‘How have they not been sued,’ was my first delighted thought as I stepped through the doors of Mr. Charlie’s. Located in Union Square in downtown San Francisco, the fast food store is an overt explosion of the red and yellow McDonald’s’ colour palette that permeated many of our childhoods.

It’s familiar. Comfortable.

You feel like you know what to expect after decades of brand exposure. And that’s the best possible place to have your customers when you’re offering them a completely vegan alternative to one of the most successful food chains in history.

Mr. Charlie’s first opened the doors of its Los Angeles restaurant in February 2022. Dubbed ‘Vegan McDonald’s’ it went viral on social media quickly. It even garnered a favourable review from Lizzo. Less than a year later it opened its San Fran branch to much fanfare. At one point they even sold completely out of products.

The aesthetic of the restaurant is fast food meets art installation. On the walls you’ll find its own versions of Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup and Marilyn Monroe prints. The space is dotted with tables and booths in the shape of the Frowny Meal boxes. It’s cheeky. Fun.

I enjoyed existing in the space.

But despite the tongue-in-cheek nature of the restaurant, Mr. Charlie’s is far from being a mere gimmick, or troll of a fast food giant.

Co-founder Taylor McKinnon was homeless just eight years ago. He was living on the streets of LA after a difficult upbringing. Eventually he became involved with the Pentecostal-affiliated Dream Centre, which helps people in crisis.

After being gifted $1000 to help get his life back on track, McKinnon met fellow co-founders Aaron Haxton and Charlie Kim — the latter of whom was already involved with the Korean fried chicken chain Aria.

Eventually, the idea for a vegan fast-food restaurant arose. But more than that, the team decided that all employees of Mr. Charlie’s would come from challenging backgrounds. They too would get a second chance in a broken system.

“Mr.Charlie’s mission is to bring approachable plant-based food, fun & support to communities. We are tackling serious issues, with a not-so-serious approach. We are about having a good time and paying it forward. Our goal is to offer more sustainable choices, connect mindfulness to everyday living, & support those who are ready for a second chance,” the company’s website reads.

“We have earned a reputation of unconditional love, good food, and a beacon of positivity in the community. We are the future, the new wave of experiencing fast food, the kinder and cleaner alternative, powered by the people for the people.

“We are sarcastic disruptors. We are community. We are love. We are change.”

Mr. Charlie’s is proof that mainstream meat alternatives are closer than ever

The Mr. Charlie’s’ menu consists of old favourites made new. Not A Cheeseburger. Just Fries. Not Chicken Nuggets. But perhaps the biggest wink to the classic McDonald’s menu is the Frowny Meal, which is made up of a ‘cheeseburger’, nuggets and a drink.

The Not Beef burgers patties are supplied by meat alternative giant Impossible. The nuggets and Not Chicken burgers are soy-based chicken alternatives.

And they’re alarmingly good.

If there was ever a way to convince your meat-eating mum and dad to try meat alternatives, this may be it. The Not A Cheeseburger is almost-identical to a classic Maccas cheesy boy. What it lacks in traditional beefiness is more than made up for by the pickles and other saucy condiments where so much of the flavour lies, if we’re being honest.

I was slightly more critical of the nuggs — my traditional go-to. While the texture was on point, the flavour just wasn’t quite there for me. And unfortunately, the obligatory sweet and sour sauce that so many Aussies love was not an option.

Still, it wasn’t bad. I’d just be reaching for the burgers and fries on a return trip.

And to be fair I had tried some truly out-of-this world faux chicken from Rebellyous the day before. More on that in a future report.

The good news here is that we’re getting access to increasingly more meat alternatives. Impossible and Beyond are by no means the only kids on the vegan block. The space is getting increasingly delicious and exciting and gone are the days of your one vegan option on a menu being a sad, wet veggie lasagna.

Even in the Australian startup space we’re seeing more forays into alternative meats as more of these companies get significant VC cash injections to do interesting things with the likes of cultivated meat and precision fermentation. And woolly mammoths, apparently.

But there’s still a long way to go. VC cash will only get the industry so far, though it’s encouraging. Price parity is still a sticking point, especially in the current economic climate. It simply costs more to buy alternate meat products, and Mr. Charlie’s is no different. McDonald’s is still cheaper.

Hopefully we will see a shift in the coming years when governments offer subsidies to alt-meat companies that are more in line with what the meat industry receives.

Regardless, it may not be long before you can try a frowny meal for yourself. In early 2023 McKinnon said that new locations will be opening in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore in 2023. We don’t have dates yet, but stay tuned. Because as the company itself says, “Mr.Charlie’s is here to redefine fast food.”