If you’ve always wanted to open your own vegan restaurant, now’s the time. Australian plant-based fast-food chain Lord of the Fries is offering franchise opportunities in New Zealand.
The chain, founded in 2004, has four restaurants across New Zealand, in Auckland, Wellington, and Queenstown. It specializes in “ethical” fast-food, according to the website, offering a selection of vegan burgers, hot dogs, mac ‘n’ cheese bites, and dairy-free milkshakes.
It’s offering franchise opportunities for $280,000 and $360,000, plus GST and stock, reports the New Zealand Herald. The company will provide marketing assistance for new owners, as well as a detailed training program, which includes kitchen training.
“Lord of the Fries [is] on a mission to help the world eat better and to introduce friends, local and abroad, to more sustainable food options,” it notes on its website. “As purveyors of the best fries, burgers, hot dogs, and munch boxes that Australia and New Zealand have to offer, we are looking for like-minded franchisees to help spread our 100 percent vegan offering to the masses.”
The company is also looking for franchisees across Australia, where it has more than 20 locations. “If you have a passion for animals and the planet, are a natural-born leader and love interacting with people, then we want to hear from you,” it adds.
The Rising Popularity of Vegan Food
The fast-food chain has an existing fan base of vegans, vegetarians, and customers who abstain from eating meat for religious reasons, but it also pulls in flexitarian customers. “The franchise is acknowledged as the most successful plant-based fast-food chain in Australia and New Zealand,” business broker Rafiq Bhamani, of Link Hospitality division, told the New Zealand Herald.
More and more consumers across Australia and New Zealand are ditching animal products and embracing plant-based foods. At the beginning of 2019, food delivery service Uber Eats predicted that more New Zealanders would be ordering meat-free foods than ever before this year.
“Our search data shows food preferences are constantly evolving and the latest is a rise in socially-conscious diners,” New Zealand’s country manager for Uber Eats, Andy Bowie, said earlier this year.
In Australia, a report from April revealed that more than 2.5 million citizens no longer eat meat.
“Lord of the Fries [is] perfectly poised to ride the popularity wave of plant-based foods,” said Bhamani.
