Planet Vegan lost its food truck to fire. It’s back, with a new restaurant in Fresno

The galaxy fries smothered in plant-based meat, cheese and jalapeño aoili sauce are coming back.

And so is Planet Vegan, the business that makes the indulgent dish — and the people behind it. The new restaurant opens at noon Saturday at Palm and Nees avenues, in the Park Place shopping center near the GB3 gym.

The opening is a comeback for the eatery after the food truck literally exploded last summer. The business was down for 18 months after fire destroyed the food trailer and truck, severely injured a partner in the business and hurt a boy walking by.

That’s a wound that’s still healing — in more ways than one. Joe Ellis, the partner who had second and third-degree burns and a spent a couple months in the hospital, isn’t back at work yet, but will be in about a month.

The cause of the fire is still hasn’t been determined.

But founder Planet Vegan Michael McElroy would rather focus on the future.

“It’s going to be good to see everybody’s faces,” he said of opening the restaurant.

The food

At the restaurant, the standard menu of vegan food will be back. Everything is vegan, from the cheese to the meat and sauces.

Customers get their choice of a hamburger made with a Beyond Burger or an Impossible patty. Options include a take on a western burger with bacon and onion rings. A combo with fries and a drink runs about $21

The galaxy fries were the No. 1 seller

Some new foods are on the menu, including chicken nuggets. There’s also a “fire” fried chicken sandwich that comes with the option of being drenched in spicy buffalo sauce.

And a $17 sampler includes a mini slider, criss-cut fries, chicken tenders, cheese sticks, onion rings and more.

There’s also salads, designed to cater to people working out at the nearby GB3 gym. And gluten-free pretzel buns.

And no, it’s not health food, said McElroy, who became vegan after watching his father deal with heart problems and get a heart transplant. But it’s a way to transition to vegan food when someone’s doctor is telling them to eat more plant-based foods, he said.

GB3 played a role in Planet Vegan opening there. The health-conscious McElroy works out there and a manager suggested he open a spot in the shopping center.

With from help of the landlord and insurance money from the fire, the former salon was transformed into a restaurant.

Customers are ready to eat Planet Vegan’s food again and there’s a need for vegan food in northwest Fresno, said John Tutelian, of Tutelian & Co., which owns the shopping center.

“It’s clear to me that there’s a following,” he said. “Ever since the tragedy with the truck, there’s been a void there.”

Planet vegan fans

The truck first hit the streets in 2019 and flourished. Business took off when COVID-19 hit and people felt comfortable going to food trucks instead of restaurants.

Then the Black Lives Matter movement escalated in the wake of George Floyd’s death. People started lining up for Planet Vegan’s food because they wanted to patronize a Black-owned business.

McElroy’s reputation as a basketball player at Central High School (he graduated in 2008) and at Holy Names University in Oakland probably helped bring in a following, too.

He always liked to peek at customers as they were eating to see their reactions as they bit into the meatless burgers or those fries drenched in various sauces.

“When we smack them with the fire, they come back,” he said.

When the fire hit, they were devastated.

Not only was the business in shambles, but Ellis, a close friend, had a long road to recovery.

Today, “he’s doing all right,” McElroy said.

A GoFundMe fundraiser raised more than $73,000 for Ellis, who didn’t have health insurance. A Fresno Street Eats fundraiser and others brought in more money.

“We had great community support,” McElroy said.

When getting the restaurant ready, he painted a quote from rapper Nipsey Hussle on the wall: “The highest human act is to inspire.”

It encapsulates Planet Vegan’s story, through the dark days after the fire to the community support and now, the reopening of the business.

“This is something that touched me, especially after everything we’ve been through,” he said.

Details: Planet Vegan is at 7845 N. Palm Ave. Hours are still being finalized, but are expected to generally be from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. It will soon be on DoorDash. 559-691-7534.