What Veggie Grill does

Veggie Grill, founded in 2006 in Irvine, California, operates a 100% plant-based fast-casual restaurant chain in the United States. Following its January 2024 acquisition by Next Level Burger, the company now operates under the legal entity Next Level Burger Company, Inc. and trades as "Veggie Grill by Next Level" or "Next Level Veggie Grill." The combined entity operates 16+ physical restaurant locations concentrated on the West Coast (California, Oregon, Washington) with additional presence in Cambridge, MA (Harvard Square), and is described as the largest wholly owned plant-based restaurant company in North America. The 2025 launch of the unified All-American Vegan menu combined the prior Veggie Grill sandwich/salad legacy with Next Level Burger's protein-forward offerings, adding protein plates, bowls, burritos, wraps, burgers, sides, and desserts across all locations.

The core product is the dine-in and take-out restaurant experience, with menu prices ranging from $3.95 (sides) to $27.95 (steak plates) and burgers from $7.95 to $15.95. The supporting technology stack is entirely composed of third-party integrations: Thanx powers the Next Level Coin rewards program and the VG Rewards mobile app; Givex handles digital and physical gift cards valid across the network; BentoBox hosts veggiegrill.com with online ordering; ezCater handles corporate catering ($125-$150 minimums); and Shopify, Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, and Heap.io power commerce and marketing analytics. The chain uses compostable plant-based packaging and transitioned to 100% non-GMO ingredients across buns, produce, and spices in 2024.

Veggie Grill monetizes through four revenue streams: direct food and beverage sales at restaurant locations (transaction-based unit pricing), corporate and event catering via ezCater (transaction-based with minimum order thresholds), a tiered loyalty subscription-like rewards program (Health Hero, Planet Protector, Veggie Visionary) that drives repeat visits, and gift card sales through Givex and in-restaurant. Its primary customer segments are health-conscious consumers, vegans and vegetarians, flexitarians, students (20% discount channel), and corporate event planners. Distribution is omnichannel but anchored on company-owned physical storefronts in the West Coast, Pacific Northwest, Southern California, and select Northeast markets.

Name

Veggie Grill

Legal name

Next Level Burger Company, Inc.

Website

https://veggiegrill.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Veggie Grill is a US plant-based fast-casual restaurant chain, founded 2006 and acquired by Next Level Burger in 2024, operating 16+ locations across California, Oregon, Washington, and Massachusetts under the Veggie Grill by Next Level brand with a unified All-American Vegan menu.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plant-Based Quick-Service Restaurant

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (7225)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Plant-Based & Vegan Fast Casual (THAFABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Salad & Bowl Concepts (Grain/Protein/Healthy Bowls) (THAFABAF), Health & Wellness / Functional Fast Casual (macro-counted, high-protein, allergen-friendly) (THAFABAO)

Keywords

• Plant-based restaurant
• Vegan fast casual
• Plant-based catering
• Vegetarian burgers
• Loyalty rewards dining

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Monica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices16 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: Revenue generated from dine-in and take-out orders at restaurant locations. Menu includes burgers, sandwiches, bowls, tacos, salads, shareables, sides, desserts, and specialty smoothies. Average ticket sizes vary by item with prices ranging from $3.95 (sides) to $27.95 (protein plates).
2. Loyalty Program Membership: Rewards program that tracks customer purchases and encourages repeat visits through Next Level Coin earning and redemption system. Tiered membership (Health Hero, Planet Protector, Veggie Visionary) provides escalating benefits to drive customer lifetime value.
3. Gift Card Sales: Sale of physical and digital gift cards through restaurant locations, online portal (Givex), and within the mobile app. Gift cards are valid at all Veggie Grill by Next Level and Next Level Burger locations.
4. Catering Services: Corporate and event catering with $125 minimum subtotal for pickup orders and $150 minimum for delivery. Food is prepared fresh daily with 24-hour advance notice required. Delivery within 45-minute window.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Veggie Grill by Next Level operates a 100% plant-based quick-service restaurant chain under the Veggie Grill by Next Level brand, serving burgers, bowls, sandwiches, wraps, tacos, salads, protein plates, smoothies, and kids meals made with organic and non-GMO ingredients. The company supplements dine-in and takeout with corporate and event catering, online and mobile ordering, a tiered loyalty rewards program (VG Rewards), and physical and digital gift cards.

Product overview

Veggie Grill by Next Level operates a restaurant platform combining two plant-based dining brands: Veggie Grill (founded 18 years ago) and Next Level Burger (America's first 100% plant-based burger joint chain). Following Next Level Burger's acquisition of Veggie Grill in 2024, the company launched a unified All American Vegan menu in 2025. The product portfolio centers on the restaurant dining experience (100% plant-based burgers, bowls, sandwiches, wraps, tacos, salads, and comfort food) supported by the VG Rewards App with its Next Level Coin marketplace and three-tier membership system (Health Hero, Planet Protector, Veggie Visionary). Additional offerings include catering services with compostable packaging, and physical/digital gift cards valid at all locations nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Veggie Grill by Next Level Restaurant Dining Dine-in and takeout quick-service restaurant offering a 100% plant-based menu of burgers, bowls, sandwiches, wraps, tacos, salads, protein plates, smoothies, and kids meals using organic and non-GMO ingredients, served at over 20 company-owned locations across California, Oregon, Washington, and Massachusetts.
• Catering Service Corporate and event catering service offering plant-based burgers, bowls, sandwiches, and sides for office lunches, celebrations, and group events with delivery within a 45-minute window and compostable packaging.
• VG Rewards Mobile App Mobile loyalty rewards application that lets customers earn 3 Next Level Coins per dollar spent, redeem perks in a marketplace, access tier-based benefits (Health Hero, Planet Protector, Veggie Visionary), and place mobile orders at Veggie Grill by Next Level locations.
• Gift Cards Physical and digital gift cards valid at all Veggie Grill by Next Level and Next Level Burger locations, available for purchase online through the Givex portal, in-restaurant, and within the VG Rewards mobile app with no expiration date.
• Online Ordering Self-serve online ordering via veggiegrill.com for pickup or delivery, supported by the Thanx platform and accessible from physical restaurant locations coast-to-coast.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,000+ Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of water conserved since founding
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Next Level BurgercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024In 2024, Next Level Burger acquired Veggie Grill, combining two pioneering plant-based restaurant brands. The acquisition formed the largest wholly owned plant-based restaurant company in North America with over 20 locations coast-to-coast. In 2025, the brands launched a unified All-American Vegan menu combining the best offerings from both brands under the Veggie Grill by Next Level name.
• ThanxcoreTechnology or IntegrationThanx provides the rewards program platform for Next Level Burger and Veggie Grill, powering the Next Level Coin loyalty system, email marketing distribution, and mobile app functionality including order-ahead and receipt scanning.
• ezCaterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorezCater handles payment processing for catering orders placed through the Veggie Grill catering system.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Native Foods Cafe: Native Foods Cafe is a 100% plant-based fast casual restaurant chain offering burgers, bowls, and comfort food across multiple U.S. states. It directly competes with Veggie Grill in the same product category, serving similar plant-based consumer segments with comparable menu formats and pricing.
• Plant Power Fast Food: Plant Power Fast Food is a 100% plant-based quick-service restaurant chain based in Southern California, specializing in burgers, sandwiches, and breakfast items. It competes directly with Veggie Grill in the same West Coast geography with an overlapping plant-based burger-focused menu.
• Veggie Galaxy: Veggie Galaxy is a plant-based diner and restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts, serving comfort food classics with vegan ingredients. It directly competes with Veggie Grill's Cambridge/Harvard Square location in the same plant-based restaurant category.
• Loving Hut: Loving Hut is an international 100% vegan restaurant chain with multiple U.S. locations offering Asian-inspired and American plant-based cuisine. It directly competes with Veggie Grill as a multi-location fully plant-based chain targeting vegan and vegetarian consumers.
• Real Food Daily: Real Food Daily is a plant-based restaurant concept in Southern California founded by chef Ann Gentry, offering healthier vegan fare. It overlaps directly with Veggie Grill's Southern California footprint and plant-based comfort food positioning.
• By Chloe: By Chloe is a plant-based fast casual restaurant chain serving vegan burgers, bowls, salads, and baked goods. It directly competes with Veggie Grill in the plant-based fast casual category with similar menu formats and target demographics.

Broad incumbents

• Sweetgreen: Sweetgreen is a publicly traded fast casual salad and bowl chain with hundreds of locations nationwide. It competes with Veggie Grill for health-conscious, plant-forward consumers in the bowl/salad category but is not exclusively plant-based and operates at significantly larger scale.
• Cava: Cava is a publicly traded Mediterranean-inspired fast casual chain specializing in grain bowls, salads, and dips. It overlaps with Veggie Grill in the healthy fast casual/bowl category and competes for similar health-conscious consumers, but at much larger scale and with broader menu positioning.
• Chipotle Mexican Grill: Chipotle is a publicly traded national QSR chain with thousands of locations offering customizable bowls, burritos, and salads with plant-based protein options (Sofritas). It is a broad incumbent that competes for the same flexitarian and health-conscious consumer seeking plant-based fast casual meals.

Emerging players

• Tender Greens: Tender Greens is a California-based fast casual chain offering chef-driven salads, bowls, and plates with a focus on fresh, sustainable ingredients. It competes with Veggie Grill for similar West Coast health-conscious consumers and offers plant-based menu options as part of a broader menu.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/veggiegrill
• Instagraminstagram.com/nextlevelvg
• TikToktiktok.com/@nextlevelveggiegrill
• Xx.com/VeggieGrill

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Veggie Grill