By Chloe has received a $13 million dollar investment to open outposts in London.
By Chloe, a vegan restaurant chain with locations in New York City, Boston, and Los Angeles, and plans to open four more U.S. locations by the end of the year (including at South Street Seaport and Rockefeller Center, in additional to their flagship location in Greenwich Village) has now set its sights on London. With a recent cash infusion of $13 million dollars, the chain should have the funds it needs to bring trendy vegan fare to Europe, and, if things go according to plan, the Middle East as well.
Bloomberg reports that By Chloe’s first international location will open in London’s Convent Garden neighborhood this fall.
The restaurant's flagship location in the West Village first opened in 2015, and offered so-called plant based dishes: a black bean and quinoa burger topped with guacamole, kale Caesar salad, and kombucha. They also offer a host of vegan baked treats at the Sweets by Chloe bakery, to help convert those diners who think dessert can’t be dessert without butter, eggs, and cream, like the chocolate and vanilla-filled vegan cupcakes. In Boston, their signature dish is a lobster roll reimagined with hearts of palm.
“International expansion was always part of our long-term plan for By Chloe,” Samantha Wasser, co-founder and president of By Chloe told Bloomberg. “We’ve built a huge following on social media and have fans in multiple countries consistently asking when we’re coming.”
In London, the menu will still offer their signature burgers and salads, as well as dairy free ice cream and fresh pasta.
Bloomberg reports that since opening, By Chloe sells 840 burgers everyday. In 2016, their sales hovered near $10 million dollars; by 2018, the restaurant hopes to triple that figure to $30 million dollars, according to Business Insider.
While a vegan fast food chain may still seem rather niche, perhaps By Chloe is headed in the right direction as meatless alternatives like the Impossible Burger and Beyond Burger are also currently expanding and, at the same time, hoping for greater acceptance by the general public.