Mr. Charlie’s

Plant-Based Fast Food Restaurantsmrcharlies.co

Mr. Charlie's is a privately held, plant-based quick-service restaurant chain founded in 2022 in Los Angeles that recreates a McDonald's-style menu with 100% plant-based ingredients, operating company-owned storefronts in California, Sydney, and franchise locations under build-out across the US.

Company typePrivate
Founded2022
HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What Mr. Charlie’s does

Mr. Charlie's (legal entity Mr. Charlie's Told Me So) is a privately held, plant-based quick-service restaurant chain founded in 2022 in Los Angeles by Aaron Haxton and Taylor McKinnon. It recreates a McDonald's-style menu (Mr. Chuck as a plant-based Big Mac analogue, Mr. Royale with Cheese, Not a Hamburger/Cheeseburger, Not Chicken Sandwich using Tindle patties, Frowny Fries, Mr. Muffin breakfast items, and the Frowny Meal / Kids' Frowny Box combo) entirely from plant-based ingredients — no meat, no dairy, no trans fat. The menu is built on third-party plant-based inputs including Tindle patties and plant-based cheese/sausage rather than proprietary food technology, with the brand's defensible layer residing in its satirical "vegan McDonald's" visual identity, mission-driven second-chance hiring, and high-velocity earned media.

The company runs a multi-channel distribution model: company-owned storefronts in Hollywood, Brentwood, San Francisco, Pacific Beach San Diego (plus a flagship under build-out in Hillcrest) and an international store in Redfern, Sydney; a roaming food-truck for weddings, corporate events, and Coachella-scale events; bulk catering boxes; Uber Eats delivery; a Toast Tab-powered Frowny Rewards loyalty program (free Frowny Meal after 10 visits); and a branded merchandise storefront at mrcharlies.world. Travis Barker (Blink-182) joined as equity partner and brand ambassador in May 2025.

Revenue is generated primarily through transaction-fee retail food sales, supplemented by catering/food-truck fees, franchise fees and royalties from over 25 signed franchise agreements (with builds underway in Austin, Atlanta, and other US markets), and ancillary merchandise. Customer segments are horizontal — mainstream fast-food consumers seeking plant-based analogues, health-conscious buyers, corporate/event planners, and individuals seeking second-chance employment — with no disclosed pricing, ARR, or institutional funding beyond a $0 Carma HoldCo entry dated 2024-10-23.

Mr. Charlie’s firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Mr. Charlie’s
Legal name: Mr. Charlie's Told Me So
Website: https://mrcharlies.co
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2022
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: Mr. Charlie's is a privately held, plant-based quick-service restaurant chain founded in 2022 in Los Angeles that recreates a McDonald's-style menu with 100% plant-based ingredients, operating company-owned storefronts in California, Sydney, and franchise locations under build-out across the US.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Mr. Charlie’s industry classification

Industry

Product category: Plant-Based Fast Food Restaurants
NAICS: Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)
akta.pro primary industry: Plant-Based & Vegan Fast Casual (THAFABAK)
akta.pro secondary industry: Burger QSR (THAFAAAA)

Keywords

Plant-based fast food
Vegan restaurant chain
Plant-based burgers
Catering and events
Franchise restaurant

Where Mr. Charlie’s is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Los Angeles
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

Mr. Charlie’s business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Retail restaurant sales: Direct-to-consumer sales through company-owned and operated restaurant locations. Customers order plant-based burgers, chicken sandwiches, nuggets, breakfast items, and desserts at counter.
Catering and events: Catering services for corporate events, weddings, bar mitzvahs, charity festivals, and private events. Food truck bookings for events with customizable menus in bulk quantities.
Franchise fees and royalties: Franchise expansion model generating franchise fees from new location operators, with ongoing royalty streams from franchisee sales.
Online ordering and delivery: Order online for pickup and delivery through Uber Eats integration, generating revenue from direct food sales plus potential delivery fees.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Mr. Charlie’s product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Mr. Charlie's is a plant-based fast-food restaurant chain that recreates classic McDonald's-style menu items using 100% plant-based ingredients including Tindle patties, plant-based cheese, and plant-based sausage. Its core menu centers on signature burgers (Not a Hamburger, Not a Cheeseburger, Mr.Chuck, Mr.Sunday, Double Not), chicken alternatives, breakfast items, fries, and the Frowny Meal combo, served across company-owned and franchise restaurants, via food trucks, and through large-format catering.

Product overview

Mr. Charlie's is a plant-based fast-food chain offering a McDonald's-style menu recreated with entirely plant-based ingredients. The product portfolio centers on burgers (Not a Hamburger, Not a Cheeseburger, Double Not, Mr.Chuck, Mr.Chuck Jr., Mr.Sunday), chicken alternatives (Not a Chicken Sandwich using Tindle patty, Not Chicken Nuggets), breakfast items (Mr.Muffin, Mr.Muffin Deluxe with Tindle sausage, Frowny Tots), sides (Frowny Fries), desserts (Mr.FluffHead plant-based ice cream), and combo meals (Frowny Meal, Kids Frowny/MiniFrowny Box). The chain also offers a Frowny Rewards loyalty program, catering services in bulk box format, and a mobile food truck for events. Merchandise including branded apparel is sold through the online shop. The company positions itself as a sarcastic disruptor in plant-based cuisine, aiming to lower barriers to plant-based eating by offering familiar comfort food in recognizable fast-food formats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Not a Hamburger

Quantifiable outcome

Reddit commenters who have tried the chain praise the taste and authenticity of items like the nuggets and fries

Companies that use Mr. Charlie’s

Customer profile

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Mr. Charlie’s technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature1 record

Mr. Charlie’s partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Mr. Charlie’s competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Others

Impossible Foods: Plant-based protein supplier with QSR partnerships (Burger King, etc.). Comparable as a key plant-based protein ecosystem player that influences category economics and consumer expectations relevant to Mr. Charlie's menu.
Beyond Meat: Plant-based protein manufacturer supplying QSRs and retail. Relevant to Mr. Charlie's as both a potential ingredient partner and category-wide demand signal for plant-based foods.

Direct peers

Next Level Burger: Plant-based burger-focused fast-casual chain expanding across the US. Closest direct plant-based QSR peer to Mr. Charlie's by menu format and franchise-style growth model.
By Chloe: Plant-based fast-casual concept serving vegan burgers and comfort food formats. Comparable to Mr. Charlie's through plant-based positioning and fast-casual service model, despite different menu inspiration.
Plant Power Fast Food: Plant-based fast-food chain operating in Southern California with menu items resembling traditional fast food. Directly comparable to Mr. Charlie's as a same-category, same-region plant-based QSR competitor.
Veggie Grill: 100% plant-based fast-casual chain with multiple US locations offering burgers, sandwiches and comfort food formats. Closest direct competitor by scale, concept, and plant-based positioning.
Monty's Good Burger: Plant-based burger restaurant chain with multiple California locations offering fast-food-style menu. Directly comparable to Mr. Charlie's in product format, geography and target customer.

Broad incumbents

Sweetgreen: Scaled fast-casual chain targeting health-conscious consumers with comparable service model and brand-driven marketing. Comparable to Mr. Charlie's as a relevant scaled fast-casual operator with a similar mission-driven positioning.
Shake Shack: Premium QSR/burger chain with national footprint and similar counter-service format. Comparable to Mr. Charlie's as a scaled QSR benchmark for unit economics and consumer perception, though not plant-based.
Carl's Jr./Hardee's: Major QSR chain with Beyond Meat plant-based offerings. Comparable as a scaled incumbent QSR serving the same consumer occasion and demonstrating the competitive threat from incumbents adding plant-based options.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Mr. Charlie’s financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Mr. Charlie’s leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Mr. Charlie’s funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

Mr. Charlie’s M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Mr. Charlie’s

What does Mr. Charlie’s do?

Is Mr. Charlie’s a public or private company?

Mr. Charlie’s is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was Mr. Charlie’s founded?

Mr. Charlie’s was founded in 2022. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is Mr. Charlie’s based?

Mr. Charlie’s is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.

How does Mr. Charlie’s make money?

Four revenue lines are on record. Retail restaurant sales are the primary driver. The others are catering and events, franchise fees and royalties and online ordering and delivery.

Who are Mr. Charlie’s's main competitors?

Others on record are Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat. Direct peers are Next Level Burger, By Chloe, Plant Power Fast Food, Veggie Grill and Monty's Good Burger. Broad incumbents are Sweetgreen, Shake Shack and Carl's Jr./Hardee's.

Does Mr. Charlie’s have an API?

No public API is recorded for Mr. Charlie’s.

What industry is Mr. Charlie’s in?

Mr. Charlie’s's product category is Plant-Based Fast Food Restaurants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFABAK, Plant-Based & Vegan Fast Casual, with a secondary code of THAFAAAA, Burger QSR. Its NAICS code is 722513.