Molly Baz helped turn this old Portland McDonald’s into a vegan fast food paradise
In an industrial pocket of North Portland, Oregon just a few minutes off I-5, there’s an old McDonald’s that was given a surprising second life.
The familiar architecture is now home to Face Plant, a vegan burger joint that opened earlier this year and aims to “become the best fast food worldwide,” according to founder Matt Plitch. It’s a lofty goal—but it’s driven by an even bigger one. “Fast food is [a huge source] of meat consumption outside the home,” he says. “And so the aim is to change the trajectory of global warming for 8 billion people.”
Face Plant was nearly four years in the making—from developing a business plan and bringing in investors, to finding the right location, to developing an alt-meat blend that “tastes better than a Big Mac.” On that last front, Plitch had some serious help: The food influencer and cookbook author Molly Baz did all of the restaurant’s recipe development.
And this labor seems to be paying off: In the first few months, Plitch says they’ve served “tens and tens of thousands of customers,” far exceeding expectations, with the average ticket running 50% higher than they anticipated and more than double that of McDonald’s.
