Lord of the Fries is an Australian and New Zealand casual dining fast food chain, originally based in Melbourne, before expanding into other regions. It serves only

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. Di ...

dishes including

loaded fries Loaded fries is a dish consisting of French fries topped with a combination of cheese, sauces, meat, (commonly bacon) and vegetables. Description Loaded fries are noted for being a cheap but filling dish. They are served with various toppings. ...

veggie burger A veggie burger is a hamburger patty that does not contain meat. It may be made from ingredients like beans, especially soybeans and tofu, nuts, grains, seeds or fungi such as mushrooms or mycoprotein. The patties that are the essence of a veg ...

s, hot dogs and a number of various sides and breakfast items. Lord of the Fries first started as a vegetarian "mobile chip van" in August 2004 which was driven across the country until late 2005 when the first store location was opened in Melbourne's

city centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...

. Due to the menu consisting entirely of plant-based products, all meals from the chain are Kosher and Halal. The restaurants became 100% vegan in 2018. The founders are vegan as are most of the franchisees. In 2018, the company announced a partnership with U.S. producer

Beyond Meat Beyond Meat, Inc. is a Los Angeles–based producer of plant-based meat substitutes founded in 2009 by Ethan Brown. The company's initial products were launched in the United States in 2012. History Founding Ethan Brown founded the company in ...

, with financial backing from actor Leonardo DiCaprio and the former

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...

, making them the first Australian restaurant chain to offer their plant-based burger patties. In 2022, Lord of the Fries Property, which was a crucial leasing vehicle for franchisees, collapsed in 2022 with debts of $2 million.

Expansion

After opening the first permanent store in Melbourne, founders Mark and Amanda with Mark’s brother Sam Koronczyk have expanded the chain across Australia, with a restaurant in almost every state; one in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

two in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

and

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, and ten in Victoria. The company also planned to further open seven new stores a year over a six-year period. Lord of the Fries opened their first international store in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, New Zealand in 2016. The company has some minor brands stemming from their LOTF stores. Recently they have launched their side brand “Lord of the…” with plant based take home macaroni and cheese products.

Locations

Lord of the Fries has nine Victorian (Melbourne) stores, two South Australian stores and one store in Western Australia and two New Zealand locations.

References

External links

*Australian *New Zealand {{Retailers in New Zealand Fast-food chains of Australia Restaurants established in 2004 2004 establishments in Australia Vegetarian restaurants in Australia