Portland's plant-based drive-thru Face Plant has turned a former McDonald's on Swan Island into a national talking point, landing on Food & Wine's "The Top 6 New Burger Spots in the U.S. to Visit" and giving vegan fast food a high-profile spotlight. The Swan Island outpost, which opened in early 2025, has drawn buzz for its milk-free shakes, chicken-free nuggets and budget-friendly, convincing meat-free burgers aimed squarely at omnivores. Founders Matt Plitch and Molly Baz present the concept as bigger than a niche experiment, pitching it as a shot at making plant-forward fast food genuinely mainstream.
Food & Wine put Face Plant at No. 5 on the national roundup, calling out its "ambitions of becoming a vegan In-N-Out" and highlighting prices such as a basic burger at about $4.99 and combo meals in the $10 range, as reported by AOL. The placement slides the Swan Island drive-thru in alongside smashburger darlings and small-city favorites, giving the Portland brand a marquee mention on a closely watched list.
From McDonald's To Swan Island's Vegan Drive-Thru
Face Plant took over a 1990s-era McDonald's building on Swan Island and opened its flagship there in early 2025, leaning into classic drive-thru nostalgia and quick service to build a roster of regulars, according to Portland Monthly. Reviewers there and at other local outlets have praised the fries and several shake flavors, while noting that the industrial-park setting keeps a steady flow of truckers and nearby workers rolling through the lane.
Menu Crafted To Win Over Omnivores
Molly Baz, the restaurant's head of culinary and a former Bon Appétit editor, helped design recipes meant to convert meat-eaters. The menu leans on Impossible products as a base, with proprietary tweaks intended to hit a familiar fast-food flavor profile, according to Eater Portland and the restaurant's own site. The shop spotlights hand-spun pea-milk shakes and hand-formed patties as key parts of its pitch to customers who would not normally opt for vegan.
Expansion On The Menu And In The Business Plan
Founder Matt Plitch has said that scaling Face Plant is baked into the plan, and local reporting notes that he is raising money to grow the brand, per KGW. The company's broader business ambitions, from Plitch's product-innovation roots at Nike to the team's talk of multiple locations, were laid out in a profile by the Portland Business Journal.
Whether the Food & Wine nod turns into longer lines at the drive-thru window or more investor meetings, the recognition signals that Portland's food scene is still generating ideas that travel beyond city limits. For now, the Swan Island shop can point to a national seal of approval while it keeps working out the everyday mechanics of fast-food hospitality at home.
