Nowhere to go but up. That’s how Al and Luz Gross felt about plant-based burger options in southern California. While plant-based restaurants are more available than they’ve ever been in the past, the couple struggled to find vegan options that offered both superior customer service and flavorful menu options.
“When it comes to selling plant-based burgers, we found that our competitors lacked in hospitality,” Al said. “Brands can’t just stand up at the podium and preach their message anymore, it’s about inviting the customer and other like-minded brands into the conversation.”
Frustration fueled an idea that came to fruition earlier this month when Al and Luz opened Spotless Burgers - a family-owned plant-based restaurant with six locations in southern California.
New to plant-based cuisine? Plant-based burgers are typically made of soy and potato proteins, grains and vegetable varieties like chickpeas, lentils, or beans.
Why should you consider plant-based options in your diet? If you’re interested in finding ways to be more sustainable and mindful of our planet, incorporating plant-based foods into your diet can reduce your carbon footprint in the same way that choosing to walk over driving can.
From an environmental standpoint, plant-based foods are significantly better for our planet because meat and dairy-based foods require significantly more water and carbon to produce than plant-based foods. In fact, animal-sourced food increases our country’s water use by more than 50 percent. You’d be amazed at how much one person alone can reduce their own carbon emissions by giving up meat and dairy products, even if just for a few days a week.
“Every bite at Spotless, is a statement of our values,” Luz said. “That includes encouraging people to be kinder to their bodies, animals and planet by embracing a healthy plant-based option and simply reducing animal products.”
It’s important to note that Spotless Burgers isn’t just focused on the vegan crowd.
“Spotless Burgers is not just for vegans, it’s for people who crave burgers. It’s for people who thirst for taste,” Al said. “When it comes to eating healthy, taste can sometimes go out the door. We’re passionate about keeping every customer happy, but also healthy. We know what it’s like to struggle with being healthy and how easy it is to give in to junk food. When we say ‘Better taste, better burger,’ we mean it.”
Like our team at Boxed Water, Spotless Burgers is also eager to build a #BetterPlanet.
“We saw a trend moving toward sustainable living and healthy lifestyles across all types of people within these locales,” Al said of his six Spotless Burgers locations which include Burbank, Glendora, La Verne, Upland, San Gabriel and Riverside.
Skipping plastic bottles and opting in to plant-based cartons was an easy and early decision for the new restaurant, which was determined to incorporate plant-based options at every turn.
“Spotless Burgers is 100% plant based, and not the ‘plant-based’ people have been sold on before,” Luz said. “Sustainability is fully embodied within the Spotless Burgers lifestyle. It’s not just about food it’s who we are.”
Spotless Burgers is partnering with Boxed Water Is Better to provide pure hydration in plant-based cartons instead of plastic bottles or aluminum cans. They were the first restaurant in Southern California to offer the new Boxed Water Flavored Water varieties.
“Everything from the way we pay our employees, to the partnerships we pursue is baked into living healthier, more sustainable lives,” Luz said. “It is important that everything we offer aligns with our values and hope for a healthier planet which is why we wanted to partner with Boxed Water. Such an innovative way of reducing plastic in our everyday life by offering water from a box, gives earth an opportunity to begin healing. And offers our oceans and sea creatures a chance of restoration. We want to be a part of that.”
Al agreed and added that “living a Spotless lifestyle not only begins with the things we put in our body, but also the companies we support and their mission. We believe our partners at Boxed Water are just that type of company which is focused on making a better tomorrow for our communities.”
Follow Spotless Burgers on Facebook & Instagram. And, if you grab a Boxed Water with your meal, make sure to post a picture with your plant-based carton on social media using the hashtag #BetterPlanet and we’ll plant two trees in your honor!
