Spike Mendelsohn’s Vegan PLNT Burger Chain Opens First Store in Maryland | Eater DC

"I watched a pool of fat seep out of the burger and sizzle on the flat top as a square of yellow American-style vegan cheese melted under a cover — but at PLNT Burger the patty, the cheese, and the milkshakes are all vegan. The patties are made from a Beyond Meat 2.0 blend with coconut oil for marbling so you still get a crispy, brown Maillard reaction and a greasy, indulgent bite; vegan cheese based on potato starch comes from Follow Your Heart. The initial menu offers four burgers — a regular with tomato, lettuce, pickles and pinkish PLNT sauce; a cheeseburger; a double cheeseburger; and a mushroom bacon burger topped with smoky barbecue, dehydrated maple‑glazed shiitake bacon and tiny fried onion “bloomies.” Buns are Schmidt’s potato rolls (or an off‑menu Swiss chard wrap Mendelsohn prefers), sides include herbed potato fries and sweet potato fries, and Dolcezza developed an oat‑milk soft serve (strawberry or chocolate) that they make into shakes with extra oat milk. The operation is certified kosher, positioned as a separate entity from Mendelsohn’s other businesses with an aggressive plan to expand into other Whole Foods stores, and carries an ecological mission reflected in its logo and the staff shirts that read, “Eat the change you wish to see in the world.”" - Gabe Hiatt