This is not a drill! Next Level Burger, the first 100 percent plant-based burger restaurant in the U.S., is set to open a New York City location in 2018!

Next Level Burger was started by husband and wife duo, Cierra and Matt de Gruyter in 2014 in Bend, Oregon – and now, there are already five Next Level Burger locations, with customers raving about the delicious plant-based burgers. The first East Coast location for the popular chain will be in Brooklyn at a new Whole Foods 365 market, NY Eater reports.

The new Next Level Burger will be inside the Whole Foods 365 market with separate seating, similar to their other locations in Seattle and California. The new location is set to open January 31st, 2018 and we can’t wait!

Next Level Burger serves up house-made burgers such as the Umami Mushroom and Quinoa Patty that have us drooling, and they also offer the delicious Beyond Burger. Next Level also has hot dogs, tater tots, and hand-spun dairy-free milkshakes. All vegan!

The popularity of Next Level Burger isn’t surprising. More people than ever are reducing their meat consumption and opting for plant-based options instead. A recent report by global market research firm Mintel shows that more people than ever are open to trying meatless burgers, a trend that is being driven largely by Millennials; 64 percent have tried meatless burgers versus 28 percent of Baby Boomers. With this in mind, making plant-based burgers readily available in Whole Foods is a pretty genius idea. If nothing else, it will certainly solve the “never grocery shop while hungry” conundrum!

We’ve had our fingers crossed for a Next Level Burger East Coast location for a while now and are so excited to see it happening! The tasty restaurant is yet another promising sign that the future of food is indeed plant-based.

To learn more about the environmental impact of our food choices as well as trends and developments in the plant-based food space, check out our podcast #EatForThePlanet with Nil Zacharias.

Image Source: Next Level Burger/Facebook