Vegan restaurant concept Mr. Charlie’s Told Me So has four locations.
The reason for opening a plant-based, mission-heavy restaurant in Los Angeles is a personal one for Mr. Charlie’s Told Me So co-founder Taylor McKinnon.
About a decade prior to launching the company in 2022, McKinnon was homeless in Los Angeles and rehabilitating at a shelter, the Dream Center. When he had the opportunity, he wanted to give back to the community and help others the way they helped him.
“We created a restaurant that served plants in a unique way, that only employed people recovering and we partnered with the Dream Center, where I lived, as a way to for me to give back from my own story,” McKinnon said.
Mr. Charlie’s announced October 23 that Carma HoldCo invested in the four-unit vegan concept with stores in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sydney, Australia. The investment will help grow Mr. Charlie’s and sparked the launch of its franchising efforts.
“We couldn’t be more aligned,” McKinnon said of the partnership with Carma. “I think this was always meant to happen. We’re grateful for the expertise, but also the guidance.”
The restaurant’s name comes from a Grateful Dead song, “Mr. Charlie,” with the lyric, “Cause Mr. Charlie told me so.”
The vegan burger chain is often referred to as the vegan McDonald’s by its fans and the bright red and yellow branding plays into that. Its menu includes a “Mr. Frowny” meal with a sandwich, “not chicken nuggets,” fries and a drink. McKinnon founded the company in February 2022 alongside Aaron Haxton.
“The whole purpose of why we created it was to kind of scratch an itch that I had in my own life,” McKinnon said. “What would happen if you created a restaurant that really supported people over profit? Well, that’s what we did and it really worked.”
Carma HoldCo is the parent company of boxer Mike Tyson’s cannabis brand Tyson 2.0, musician Future’s cannabis company Evol and wrestler Ric Flair’s energy drink brand Wooooo Energy.
Mr. Charlie’s serves plant-based burgers, “not chicken” nuggets and fries.
“We’ve got a great group of individuals,” Carma CEO Adam Wilks said. “Just all iconic legends in their own space and we’re just focused on creating unique experiences and product offerings to aim at connecting to consumers and inspiring and elevating their lives through plant-based medicine.”
Carma saw the potential to scale Mr. Charlie’s. Tyson 2.0 is active in 19 countries and Wilks said that’s possible for Mr. Charlie’s as well.
The vegan food market could reach nearly $78 billion worldwide by next year, according to MarketsandMarkets.
Mr. Charlie’s is looking for franchisees with a similar ethos of the brand and a passion for community involvement. Giving back will remain at the core of the franchise as it expands, McKinnon said.
“Hundreds of thousands of people—I lost count, really—have taken the time not only to go into the store to spend their hard-earned money, but actually go and spend hours editing videos and sticking them on the internet and pushing it and being an advocate.”