Popular North Carolina restaurant expands to Asheville with plant-based fast food menu

ASHEVILLE – A North Carolina-based restaurant brand that turns the idea of ​​comfort food on its head has debuted in Asheville with plant-based burgers, fries and shakes on the menu.

On June 20, Romeo’s Vegan Burgers opened at 640 Merrimon Ave, Unit 203, in the shopping plaza next to businesses like The Hop and Mother Ocean Seafood Market.

“We want to make sure we have a Romeo in places where people are drawn to. In North Carolina, Asheville is a big draw: there’s Biltmore, the mountains, the scenic areas and a conscious vibe to the town,” said co-owner Tigo Faulkner. “Veganism is something that is invited here, so we wanted to bring our vision of veganism to Asheville.”

Faulkner said he discovered spirituality nearly a decade ago and adopted a vegan lifestyle.

In 2020, Faulkner, a hip-hop artist, said that he and his music manager and business partner, Lamont Heath, had plans to open a restaurant, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they decided to turn to a food truck.

Romeo’s Vegan Burgers food truck, which continues to operate in Charlotte, has quickly gained popularity.

“It became almost like an event because the clubs weren’t open, no lounges, and you couldn’t go into a restaurant,” Faulkner said. “All day, every day, people were coming and there were lines of 50 or 60 people in front of the food truck. »

This success has led the business partners to open brick-and-mortar restaurants in Charlotte and Greensboro and now Asheville, with more on the horizon.

Faulkner said customers often think the restaurant is named after him, but “Romeo” is the name of the company’s mascot — a cartoon rabbit eating a hamburger with a carrot inside.

Romeo’s Vegan Burgers menu

Faulkner said Romeo’s combats the misconception that vegan food can’t be delicious or flavorful and offers beloved comfort foods in a plant-based form.

“There are only two kinds of food – good food and bad food – and we are in the good food business,” he said.

Romeo’s menu features homemade ingredients and products from brands like Beyond Meats, Impossible Foods and Follow Your Heart.

The best-selling Where Art Thou Romeo Burger features a plant-based patty topped with lettuce, tomatoes, grilled onions, cheese, pickles and a house sauce that’s “sweet, tangy and smoke” and costs $12.99. Make it a combo to add a side, like fresh-cut fries or tater tots, and a drink for an additional fee.

Faulkner said his favorite menu item is the Romeo BBQ Bacon Burger topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onions, pickles, bacon, mayonnaise and barbecue sauce, which costs $13.99.

“We want to make plant-based foods not only touchable but interesting to people who aren’t interested in plant-based foods,” Faulkner said.

The menu continues with chili cheese fries, a kale wrap, kale salads and shakes mixed with soy ice cream.

Freshly brewed iced tea, lemonade and strawberry lemonade made with cane sugar and Maine Root sugar cane sodas are on the drink menu.

Dine-in, takeout, online ordering and delivery through Uber Eats and DoorDash are available.

“We have a brand that is recognized throughout the state,” Faulkner said. “As soon as we opened the doors today, people were coming. It’s truly a blessing.

Romeo’s vegan burgers

Or: 640 Merrimon Avenue, Unit 203, Asheville.

Hours: from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.

Information: To learn more, visit romeosveganburgers.com and facebook.com/romeosveganburgers and follow @romeosveganburgers on Instagram. Romeo’s Vegan Burgers is recruiting for management and staff positions; pay starts at $14/hour. Apply through job sites like Indeed.

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Tiana Kennell is the food reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a Citizen Times subscription.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Romeo’s Vegan Burgers opens third restaurant in Asheville, more to come