The restaurant’s final day of operation at UCSD will be Friday, May 22. The closure marks yet another contraction for the company and lands amid an increasingly difficult period for San Diego’s fully vegan restaurant sector, which has experienced a wave of closures, downsizing and identity shifts over the past two years.
Located at 9685 Scholars Drive North inside UC San Diego, the La Jolla outpost primarily served students, faculty and campus visitors with a menu built around plant-based burgers, crispy “chicken” sandwiches, shakes, breakfast burritos and vegan takes on classic fast food staples.
Founded in 2016 by Mitch Wallis alongside co-founders Zach Vouga and Jeffrey Harris, Plant Power Fast Food emerged during a period when plant-based dining appeared poised to fundamentally reshape the restaurant industry. The company’s original Ocean Beach location quickly developed a cult following for serving vegan versions of burgers, fries, milkshakes and breakfast items in a format intentionally modeled after mainstream fast food chains.
Unlike many vegan restaurants historically associated with niche health-food culture, Plant Power leaned heavily into indulgence, nostalgia and accessibility. The company’s branding, drive-thru expansion model and menu strategy positioned it as a potential national disruptor during the height of the plant-based investment boom.
Over the following years, Plant Power expanded aggressively throughout California and into Nevada, opening locations in Encinitas, Redlands, Sacramento, Long Beach, Hollywood, Las Vegas and on college campuses including San Diego State University and UCSD.
But the company’s recent history has reflected broader turbulence throughout the vegan fast casual sector. The UCSD closure follows the 2025 shutdown of Plant Power’s SDSU-area location near College Avenue, as well as earlier closures in Carmel Mountain Ranch and Anaheim. While the company continues operating locations in Ocean Beach, Encinitas, Escondido and elsewhere, its footprint is notably smaller than during its peak expansion period.
The struggles facing Plant Power are hardly isolated. Over the past year, San Diego’s vegan restaurant ecosystem has experienced a series of painful setbacks that have forced many operators to confront difficult economic realities. Earlier this month, longtime North Park vegan restaurant Loving Hut announced it would permanently close after 16 years in business. Before that, ambitious vegan concepts Dreamboat Diner and Vulture shuttered less than a year after opening in University Heights, citing unsustainable operating costs and financial pressures.
Even vegetarian institutions have begun pivoting away from fully meatless identities. Grains, a longtime University Heights staple known for vegetarian and vegan cuisine, sparked backlash after adding meat to its menu for the first time in years in an effort to broaden its customer base.
Nationally, the vegan fast food landscape has also cooled considerably from the euphoric growth forecasts that dominated the late 2010s and early 2020s. In 2024, comedian Kevin Hart’s plant-based chain Hart House abruptly closed all locations, including scrapped plans for a San Diego County expansion in Carlsbad. Beyond Meat and other major plant-based brands have likewise faced slowing growth, layoffs and declining investor confidence as consumer enthusiasm leveled off after years of explosive hype.
That does not necessarily mean demand for vegan food has disappeared. Plant-based options remain deeply embedded across mainstream restaurant menus, from fast food chains to fine dining. But industry observers increasingly believe the market has matured into something more complicated than earlier projections suggested. Many diners appear interested in occasionally eating plant-based meals without necessarily committing to fully vegan restaurants as their primary dining destinations.
At the same time, independent vegan operators continue facing the same brutal pressures confronting the broader restaurant industry: rising labor costs, escalating rents, food inflation, delivery app fees and increasingly cautious consumer spending habits.
For San Diego specifically, the closures carry additional symbolic weight because the region once stood near the forefront of the national vegan fast food movement. Brands like Plant Power helped establish San Diego as an incubator for plant-based dining concepts well before vegan burgers became normalized at major chains.
The company’s original Ocean Beach location, which remains open, still serves as a reminder of that era’s optimism and innovation. But the closure of another local outpost underscores how difficult sustaining growth has become, even for brands with strong name recognition and loyal followings.
For many UCSD students, however, the loss feels far more personal than economic trend lines or industry analysis. It simply means one fewer place for late-night vegan burgers, shakes and comfort food near campus.
Plant Power Fast Food’s final day at UCSD is scheduled for Friday, May 22. Remaining San Diego County locations currently include Ocean Beach, Encinitas and the Escondido digital kitchen. For more information, visit plantpowerfastfood.com.
Originally published on May 20, 2026.
Located at 9685 Scholars Drive North inside UC San Diego, the La Jolla outpost primarily served students, faculty and campus visitors with a menu built around plant-based burgers, crispy “chicken” sandwiches, shakes, breakfast burritos and vegan takes on classic fast food staples.
Founded in 2016 by Mitch Wallis alongside co-founders Zach Vouga and Jeffrey Harris, Plant Power Fast Food emerged during a period when plant-based dining appeared poised to fundamentally reshape the restaurant industry. The company’s original Ocean Beach location quickly developed a cult following for serving vegan versions of burgers, fries, milkshakes and breakfast items in a format intentionally modeled after mainstream fast food chains.
Unlike many vegan restaurants historically associated with niche health-food culture, Plant Power leaned heavily into indulgence, nostalgia and accessibility. The company’s branding, drive-thru expansion model and menu strategy positioned it as a potential national disruptor during the height of the plant-based investment boom.
Over the following years, Plant Power expanded aggressively throughout California and into Nevada, opening locations in Encinitas, Redlands, Sacramento, Long Beach, Hollywood, Las Vegas and on college campuses including San Diego State University and UCSD.
But the company’s recent history has reflected broader turbulence throughout the vegan fast casual sector. The UCSD closure follows the 2025 shutdown of Plant Power’s SDSU-area location near College Avenue, as well as earlier closures in Carmel Mountain Ranch and Anaheim. While the company continues operating locations in Ocean Beach, Encinitas, Escondido and elsewhere, its footprint is notably smaller than during its peak expansion period.
The struggles facing Plant Power are hardly isolated. Over the past year, San Diego’s vegan restaurant ecosystem has experienced a series of painful setbacks that have forced many operators to confront difficult economic realities. Earlier this month, longtime North Park vegan restaurant Loving Hut announced it would permanently close after 16 years in business. Before that, ambitious vegan concepts Dreamboat Diner and Vulture shuttered less than a year after opening in University Heights, citing unsustainable operating costs and financial pressures.
Even vegetarian institutions have begun pivoting away from fully meatless identities. Grains, a longtime University Heights staple known for vegetarian and vegan cuisine, sparked backlash after adding meat to its menu for the first time in years in an effort to broaden its customer base.
Nationally, the vegan fast food landscape has also cooled considerably from the euphoric growth forecasts that dominated the late 2010s and early 2020s. In 2024, comedian Kevin Hart’s plant-based chain Hart House abruptly closed all locations, including scrapped plans for a San Diego County expansion in Carlsbad. Beyond Meat and other major plant-based brands have likewise faced slowing growth, layoffs and declining investor confidence as consumer enthusiasm leveled off after years of explosive hype.
That does not necessarily mean demand for vegan food has disappeared. Plant-based options remain deeply embedded across mainstream restaurant menus, from fast food chains to fine dining. But industry observers increasingly believe the market has matured into something more complicated than earlier projections suggested. Many diners appear interested in occasionally eating plant-based meals without necessarily committing to fully vegan restaurants as their primary dining destinations.
At the same time, independent vegan operators continue facing the same brutal pressures confronting the broader restaurant industry: rising labor costs, escalating rents, food inflation, delivery app fees and increasingly cautious consumer spending habits.
For San Diego specifically, the closures carry additional symbolic weight because the region once stood near the forefront of the national vegan fast food movement. Brands like Plant Power helped establish San Diego as an incubator for plant-based dining concepts well before vegan burgers became normalized at major chains.
The company’s original Ocean Beach location, which remains open, still serves as a reminder of that era’s optimism and innovation. But the closure of another local outpost underscores how difficult sustaining growth has become, even for brands with strong name recognition and loyal followings.
For many UCSD students, however, the loss feels far more personal than economic trend lines or industry analysis. It simply means one fewer place for late-night vegan burgers, shakes and comfort food near campus.
Plant Power Fast Food’s final day at UCSD is scheduled for Friday, May 22. Remaining San Diego County locations currently include Ocean Beach, Encinitas and the Escondido digital kitchen. For more information, visit plantpowerfastfood.com.
Originally published on May 20, 2026.