Fast-casual restaurant chain HipCityVeg opens first New York City location

Philadelphia-based fast-casual restaurant HipCityVeg opened its first New York City location this week. This is the first step in the company’s goal to more than double its unit count, going from 7 to 15, by February 2022.

“We see this as the ideal time to grow our brand and have a bold vision,” HipCityVeg CEO Nicole Marquis said in a release. “People are realizing they can get the foods they crave and enjoy them in a way that has a much, much lower impact on the planet, while aligning with their compassionate values.”

The plant-based chain now has eight units. There are plans to open three more stores in the Philadelphia area, two in Washington D.C. and two more in the New York boroughs.

The two upcoming NYC units will be delivery-only “Go Kitchens,” which were created during the pandemic to accommodate the on-the-go consumer.

“This novel approach responds to the unique moment we are in, with more consumers wanting to enjoy their favorite foods at home,” said Marquis. “Yet, we don’t want to lose the in-person experience that makes restaurants destinations and community gathering places, so we are taking a hybrid approach to growth.”

Those units will be in Brooklyn and Queens; the unit that just opened is in Manhattan.

“No matter where people enjoy plant-based foods, whether it’s at HipCityVeg, or wherever is most convenient for them, it’s so important for all our futures to have more affordable, convenient and delicious ways to do so. Plant-based is the future, and now is the moment,” Marquis said in the release.

In July, the brand announced it would pay all workers $15 an hour at its stores in Philadelphia, where minimum wage is currently $7.25. The minimum wage in Washington D.C. is $15 an hour and New York City is $20 an hour.