The growing interest in plant-based foods is giving rise to new startup restaurant chains on the horizon. For instance, John Mackey, co-founder of Whole Foods Market, plans to build a plant-based restaurant chain. Mackey is listed as a partner in Healthy America LLC, Bloomberg reports, which aims to launch vegetarian restaurants nationwide. Mackey’s past success scaling a business promoting healthy lifestyles is attracting plenty of investor attention as vegetarian and vegan diets grow in popularity. Several former Whole Foods executives are already joining Mackey in his new endeavor.

However, plant-based chains on the horizon already have growing competition. For instance, vegan burger chains like Odd Burger are intent on making eating plant-based more convenient than ever. This week, the Canadian burger restaurant announced plans to bring its crave-worthy vegan fast food to 25 states. Last month, Next Level Burger announced that it plans to open 1,000 locations in the United States by 2025.

Some startup chains have already moved beyond the horizon. For instance, Slutty Vegan has seen rapid growth since its first location opened in 2018. The chain currently has five restaurants in Georgia, with three more coming soon across Georgia, Alabama and New York.

We think these new eateries are only the beginning of the rising popularity of vegan restaurants. Word is getting around that along with better health, saving the animals and sustaining the environment, plant-based foods can also be convenient and delicious.  Stay tuned for further developments!