8 Vegan Restaurant Success Stories [2024]

Updated: March 3rd, 2024
Start A Vegan Restaurant

The global vegan and vegetarian market is worth more than $50 Billion and will grow by approximately 30% over the coming years. The reason behind the increased popularity of vegan food is increased awareness of the importance of healthy eating habits. In that regard, starting a vegan restaurant can be a rewarding business.

To start, research the current market to identify a potential niche and a profitable business model. You may deliver healthy cooked food to commercial centers or offices or focus purely on walk-in customers.

Here are some real life success stories of starting a vegan restaurant:

1. The House of Leaf & Bean Inc. ($360K/year)

After being diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and experiencing the transformative power of a healthy diet, Wen decided to launch House of Leaf & Bean, an organic restaurant and cafe. With a mission to make healthy living and healthy dieting accessible and affordable for everyone, Wen and her team started by experimenting with making fresh soymilk and tofu, and eventually expanded to offer a range of delicious organic plant-based dishes. The business has seen steady growth, with 80% of sales coming from drive-thru and in-store purchases, and plans are underway to establish an organic production facility and expand into wholesale and retail markets.

How much they make: $360K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500K
Current team size: 7

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The IBS Diagnosis That Led Me To A $30K/Month Fresh Plant-Based Food Restaurant

This case study follows the journey of Wen, the founder of House of Leaf & Bean, an organic restaurant and cafe, who left her corporate job due to her passion for healthy living and curing her Irritable Bowel Syndrome through lifestyle changes, and now serves fresh and organic meals to help patients reverse or improve their health conditions, with a goal to make healthy food and healthy living more affordable and accessible.

About
Wen started The House of Leaf & Bean Inc. almost 8 years ago
Revenue
Wen grew the business to $30K/month
Costs
It cost Wen $500000 to start the business
Read by 4,195 founders

2. Sweetgreen ($300M/year)

How much they make: $300M/year
Current team size:

Sweetgreen: Nicolas Jammet and Jonathan Neman: How I Built This

Case Study: From a 500 square-foot salad shop to over 100 locations, Sweetgreen founders disrupt fast-casual dining through innovation in tech, despite coronavirus challenges.

Revenue
Jonathan grew the business to $25M/month
Read by 641 founders

So... can you actually make money with a vegan restaurant?

Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.

But how?

  1. Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
  2. Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
  3. Take action, because now you have the roadmap.

Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:

Start Now

So... can you actually make money with a vegan restaurant?

Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.

But how?

  1. Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
  2. Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
  3. Take action, because now you have the roadmap.

Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:

Start Now

6. Sweetgreen

Simple, seasonal, healthy salads and grain bowls made in-house from scratch, using whole produce delivered that morning.

How much they make:
Where they're located: Manhattan Community Board 1, New York, USA

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7. Menufy

Order online for carryout or delivery from restaurants near you and conveniently pay by Credit Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Venmo, Bitcoin, and more. Menufy is fast and easy!

Where they're located: Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Website traffic: 1.63M/month

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8. Happy Cow

Website traffic: 1.02M/month

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