Face Plant Wants To Take Down McDonald’s in Portland

The other day I was perusing Instagram and came across this new account called @eatfaceplant. Turn out Face Plant is a new fast food restaurant that will offer a 100% plant-based fast food menu in what used to be a 1990’s-era McDonald’s on Swan Island. There is just something poetic about that.

Matt Plitch, Face Plant’s Owner

I reached out to Matt Plitch, the man behind Face Plant, to learn more. You may also know him as the guy who started Neutral, whose goal was to reduce the carbon footprint of agriculture. I remember seeing their milk at Whole Foods some time ago (they have since pivoted to food service). This was his first startup.

Matt grew up in the Boston area, went to school there, and eventually found his way to Nike. “I got lucky to spend 6 to 7 years there in product innovation in the footwear group,” he explained. But his first foray into hospitality was working as a busboy at a Boston diner, years ago. He and his family currently lives in Northeast Portland.

During our conversation he mentioned he had recently had a business meeting at Excellent Cuisine. “This is one of my favorite restaurants in the city!” he exclaimed.

He grew up as an omnivore but now eats plant-based. “I went plant-based almost four years ago,” he said. “I was working on my first startup, way too many hours a day. And I was relying on food outside the home and couldn’t find anything fast. Sure there was the Burger King Whopper that was plant-based. But it didn’t feel right from a climate, welfare, or labor standpoint.” Climate and animal welfare in particular are very important issues for Matt.

He added, “With Gen Z, 60% are trying to limit their meat consumption in one way or another. They want something functional and affordable.”

The Face Plant Concept

Matt straight up says it like it is: “The mission of the company is to take down McDonalds, using 100% plant-based ingredients. He repeats, “We are building this brand to take down McDonald’s.”

He continues with a reality check, “We can build a better fast food brand and experience than the others. But if the burger doesn’t taste better than the others, and at an affordable price point, it doesn’t matter. Ambitions don’t matter. It means nothing if we can’t give the McDonald’s eater reasons to come here.”

A significant amount of carbon is produced by beef production to feed the 85 million (per day) fast food consumers. So this climate aspect is an important piece of the puzzle. Matt believes fighting climate change from his angle is a good one—and if successful, he believes it can disrupt climate change and bend the arc of history in his direction.

He sees that in other industries—e.g., electric vehicles, solar, wind—there are real solutions. “But when you look at food, it’s not in the same place. Plant-based truly is a silver bullet.”

And they have bigger plans than the one location: “We are an independent restaurant that wants to expand,” remarked Matt. And, take down McDonald’s.

The Face Plant Menu

“The menu is hyper-focused, doing a few things exceptionally well,” Matt explained. You’ll find the menu is truly simple: cheeseburgers, french fries, shakes, and nuggets; plus soda and coffee. And because it’s so focused, they feel they can really push the limits of quality.

The ingredients will be as local as possible when it comes to seasonal items, though not organic. “It’s not something we can embrace just now,” he remarked. But the vegetables will be freshly prepared—I kind of got a Taco Time vibe from that part. 

The “meat” is an Impossible-style (rather than a mushroom or black bean style of veggie burger) from one of their partners. It will be infused with spices and flavorings that essentially makes the final product proprietary to Face Plant. They are also thrilled with the cheese they are using. The milkshakes are hand-spun, too.

Gluten-Free Options

And for you gluten-free folks, here’s the deal: They plan on offering much of the menu as gluten-free—everything but their nuggets. However, there will not be any gluten-free buns (they tested many and were dissatisfied overall), and instead the gf option will be a lettuce wrap (“a nice thick iceberg lettuce”). Their aim is for no cross-contamination and to have completely segregated fryer vats.

But it will be wise to ask about it when you come in. Gluten will still be in space.

It Has To Taste Good

“Our head of culinary [Molly Baz] is one of the best recipe developers in the world,” said Mark. “She’s an omnivore and a best-selling cookbook author. She cut her teeth as a chef in New York. She eats In-N-Out down in LA. And so she would come to the test kitchen and ask, ‘Is this as good as the Double-Double Animal-Style I had yesterday?’ And if not, we’ve got more work to do.”

He continued, “There’s a whole level of craft and quality that we are aiming for.”

I asked him what his favorite menu item is, and that would be “The Fancy,” their burger with their own “unbelievable special sauce,” lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and cheese. There is an off-menu option of banana peppers for it, too. 

And what’s up with the name? Matt told me, “We don’t want take ourselves too seriously—you put plants in your face at Face Plant. My wife came up with the name.”

The Face Plant Building

This location will be the first Face Plant—it’s flagship operation. I asked him why he chose this building in this location. “We loved this site so much,” he explained. “It took us a year to find it, mostly because its our flagship location, and it’s important that it allows us to take care of and serve a bunch of people.”

He continues, “We are proud to be part of the Swan Island community. And grateful for this part of Northeast Portland, North Portland, and Overlook, surrounded by people who are passionate about food and what they eat every day. In that sense, it was a dream location.”

As for the building itself, they took everything down to the studs. “We have this massive dining room that we knew we could completely renovate to match our brand and the experience we want people to feel. We infused it with tile and booths and brightness and color and light. All these things that we want, created with design and thoughtfulness, serving as a form of hospitality.”

And it will remain in a fast-food style as far as how you get your food—order in the drive-thru. Or inside at the counter: Get a number, order, take your seat, and grab your food. There will be indoor and outdoor seating. They’ll be on the delivery apps, too.

Hospitality and Line Busters

In our conversation, I learned the term, “Line Busters.” These are people who stand out in the line of cars taking orders.”With fast food, the bar is low and people deserve good service,” Matt explained.

“So, if it’s a hot summer day we should be walking the line with milkshake samples. If it’s cold, out there with coffee. It’s an opportunity we want to give people, one that they deserve,” he remarked.

He told me that at this location they started out there with a “teeny tiny” thin drive-thu built in 1992. They decided to expand it to accommodate two lines of cars and are covering that area with a 50ft x 30ft steel canopy so that the hosts (Line Busters) out in the drive-thru lane—they’ll be checking in with the guests, asking how their day is going and how they can serve them—can be protected.

Opening Details

They are looking at a soft launch in mid-to-late December and a grand opening in January. Hours are planned, for now, to be 9am to 10pm. Later they will explore the possibility of opening into the late night, like 2am tor 3am.

So why open at 9am? Lunch break is mid-morning for a lot of working folks nearby.

Some Final Words

“I was an omnivore almost my whole life,” said Matt. “Face Plant is for everybody. We are not trying to convert anybody. If we do it all right, the fact that it’s plant-based should be an afterthought.”

He continues, “We really feel there is no better opportunity in the world [for our goals] than fast food—85 million people a day eat fast food. And along with great food, we are passionate about delivering true hospitality. We can use technology and different kinds of operations to create a deeper connection with guests than ever before. This is the heart of the business.”

First Portland … then the world! Best of luck to Matt and his crew as they open the flagship location of Face Plant.

Face Plant [projected opening December 2024]
3110 N Going Street, Portland
Face Plant website | Instagram

Updated March 4, 2025.