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Project Pollo, the San Antonio-born fast food restaurant known for its plant-based fried “chikn” dishes, is opening a second location in Houston.
The latest outpost opens Saturday, September 18, at 6705 Fondren Road in Sharpstown. It joins a location that opened in a former Whataburger in Katy, at 514 Mason Road, earlier this summer.
Project Pollo, which was founded in San Antonio in September 2020, serves soy-based “chickenless chicken” dishes, like vegan buffalo chikn nuggets, spicy chikn sandwiches, and fries loaded with cashew queso, pico, and vegan ranch dressing. There are also burgers, like the Double Cheez, made with Impossible Meat and plant-based cheddar.
Project Pollo owner Lucas Bradbury, who founded the restaurant in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, wanted to shake up the fast food industry with a restaurant that paid employees a livable wage while also providing affordable plant-based food, he told QSR Magazine earlier this year. Most dishes at Project Pollo are under ten dollars, and the company pays its employees a base wage of $15 an hour. The restaurant also offers a “pay what you can” program featuring certain menu items. In addition, proceeds from the sale of some dishes benefit animal rights and rescue orgs, like San Antonio’s Veteran’s Pet Rescue Express.
Since its founding a year ago, Project Pollo has already expanded to eight locations in San Antonio, Austin, and Houston, with about two dozen more locations planned for Texas by 2022.
