Is This Burger Chain the Vegan Shake Shack?

Vegans enjoy a quick burger and fries as much as anyone – and Stand-Up Burgers is giving them (and non-vegans, of course) what they crave. The burger joint is a new chain from Veggie Grill, described in marketing materials as the “rebellious younger sister” of the corporate family. Stand-Up Burgers already boasts three locations in Northern California and Illinois; this week it continues its national expansion with a fourth restaurant in Los Angeles. A New York City outpost is planned for later this summer.

While some plant-based burger spots we’ve tried in recent years seem to aim for what we might term the “In-n-Out approach” of super-simple, nostalgic burgers and fries, Stand-Up Burgers might be more fairly compared to Shake Shack. The veggie  burgers, “chicken” sandwiches, and hot dogs can be ordered with upgraded toppings like blue “cheese,” chipotle aioli, and caramelized onion, and the shakes are offered in a wider array of seasonal and year-round flavors.

On my visit to the opening of the newest restaurant in Culver City, on Los Angeles’s westside, I enjoyed everything I sampled, and was particularly impressed with the quality of the burger buns, as some vegan burger buns can be dry and underwhelming. Stand-Up Burgers uses Impossible for their burger “meat” and handles it well.

Veggie Grill was founded in Los Angeles back in 2006 and has grown to be the largest vegan restaurant chain in the U.S. Jay Gentile, CEO of Veggie Grill, noted in a statement to press that the company was eager to bring their burger concept to the region.

“We’re thrilled to be expanding Stand-Up Burgers and to bring this concept to our hometown of Los Angeles,” he stated. “We’re confident that Angelenos will identify with our mission of inspiring the world to eat less meat while revolutionizing traditional comfort food to be deliciously vegan.”

The Culver City location that opens this week is just the beginning. The company plans to add three additional SoCal restaurants before the end of 2022, bringing the total to eight since launching in April, 2021. Rapid expansion might be another thing the brand has in common with that other, recently-embattled burger empire.

Stand-Up Burgers opens at 4114 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City, CA on June 17, 2022. Visit Instagram for details of opening-week celebrations including food giveaways. 

RELATED: The Best Veggie Burger Spots in the U.S.

Get more of what you love from VT. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and sign up for our email newsletters.