Mr. Charlie’s is more than just a ‘vegan McDonald’s’
The plant-based fast-food chain promises that its food tastes as good as meat.
Lisa Chikarovski, the Australian master franchisee of Mr. Charlie’s, does not want the plant-based fast-food chain to be known as the “vegan McDonald’s.”
“We don’t call ourselves vegan,” she told QSR Media. “We are plant-based. The reason that’s important is we don’t believe that plant-based is only for people who are vegan or vegetarian.”
Mr. Charlie’s, which started in Los Angeles in 2022, became a social media success when American rapper and singer Lizzo posted a video of her review of the brand on TikTok that gained millions of views. It has two other restaurants in San Francisco and Sydney.
“We don’t lean on that (McDonald’s marketing) at all,” Chikarovski said. “I think our food speaks for itself. Red and yellow, quirky colours but for us, it's about creating something new and different, particularly if they are a foodie and curious about plant-based options.”
The brand sports a frowny face with Xs for eyes, a jarring reverse of the well-known smiling branding of Macca’s. Mr Charlie’s also offers burger meals such as Not A Cheeseburger, Not A Chickenburger, and the signature Big Mista. Prices range from $20.90 to $32.90 per combo meal.
The fast-food chain promises that its plant-based food tastes as good as meat.
“Our promise is plant-based, same taste,” Chikarovski said. “We market by talking to people about the fact that even the most strident carnivores in the world will still find our meals tasty. There are also benefits to people when eating plant-based foods, there are benefits to the well-being of animals, and the planet as well.”
Sales of plant-based meat in Australia surged 47% between 2020 and 2023, with per-capita consumption increasing by 28%, according to a report by Food Frontier. Quick-service restaurants accounted for 80% of the sales volume in 2022, whilst in 2023, total plant-based meat sales in Australia reached $272.5m, or a compound average growth rate of 14% since 2020.
Mr Charlie’s menu is cooked to order, which Chikarovski said is a unique selling point of the brand. On average, Mr Charlie’s has a preparation time of five to six minutes per order.
Chikarovski said this is a challenge for them because they want to avoid storing food as much as possible and keep everything fresh. “We kind of sit between that restaurant experience and that fast-food experience in that way.”
As a young brand, Mr. Charlie’s had to be creative in dealing with supply chain issues, Chikarovski said, noting that it was tough getting products since Australia is very far from their major distribution centres.
The company recently had to deal with the fact that vegan double-sliced buns did not exist in any supply chains in Sydney. “So what we did was create our own” she said.
The company bought a piece of equipment from Germany and worked with a group called The Bread and Butter Project, a local bakery in Sydney that trains refugees new to Australia to become bakers.
“So we purchased the equipment on their behalf and now we have made a local supply chain of plant-based sliced buns here in Sydney,” Chikarovski said
Mr. Charlie's is now testing the waters in Melbourne by opening a pop-up at CoConspirators Brewpub in Brunswick that will run for two months until 2 February.
“I think one of the things we love about Melbourne is that a lot of people here share that foodie, curious type persona where even though they haven’t tried plant-based before, they are keen to give it a go,” she said. “And that’s the kind of opportunities we are looking to capitalise on.”
