The fast-casual concept:

Vital Foods

With a fresh take on fast food, Frederik Waagepetersen is working on making plant-based eating attractive to a mainstream audience.

Two and a half years ago, Frederik Waagepetersen set out to solve a problem. As someone who had gradually embraced plant-based eating, he realized there was a major gap in the market: Where could you grab quick, plant-based food on the go that didn’t feel like a compromise?

What started as a personal gripe then became a business idea, and Vital Foods was born. It’s a fast-casual eatery located in the heart of Copenhagen serving fresh, plant-based burritos, bowls, and sandwiches, all while pushing their products as a positive add-on rather than opting out of meat altogether.

The goal here is simply to make plant-based food that’s just good food. Something everyone can enjoy.

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“I never wanted Vitalfoods to be seen as a ‘vegan’ place,” Waagepetersen explains. “I’m not vegan, or even vegetarian, myself—I eat meat, but very seldom, and in small amounts. But I don’t judge others based on their diet. The goal for me is simply to make plant-based food that’s just good food on its own. Something everyone can enjoy.”

The initial inspiration, at least conceptually, came from London’s Pret-A-Manger chain of ultra-convenient, ready-made food and drinks. However, Waagepetersen wanted a bigger emphasis on made-to-order food, while still keeping it fast and convenient.

In a restaurant scene that’s highly competitive, Vital Foods is still a relative rarity in Copenhagen: Although a number of consequential plant-based restaurants have sprung up in recent years, fast food or convenience-based eateries in the same category are still few and far between.

Plant-based food has long existed in a niche—mostly catering to a more die-hard crowd. But Vital Foods are playing a different game: Instead of making food for the already-converted, they’re directly targeting the masses.

“There will always be a vegan niche, and they’re very welcome here, too. But if we really want to create change, not to mention a viable business, we have to make our food accessible to the mass market. For us, that means convenience, great taste, a fair price point, and being inclusive towards all our guests,” Frederik Waagepetersen says.

This approach is why you’ll find a classic like the burrito on the menu at Vital Foods. It’s at once familiar and surprising, since it’s filled with either black beans, mushroom mince or pulled jackfruit - a tropic fruit which can be “pulled” in a similar way as chicken or pork.

If we really want to create change, not to mention a viable business, we have to make our food accessible to the mass market.

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Getting it right was far from straightforward, however, as it takes unusual seasoning and ingredient combinations (such as red lentils, walnuts, and onion) to achieve the desirable umami flavors usually provided seamlessly by just adding meat.

Add to that the fact that Frederik Waagepetersen, coming from a fashion background, had no formal experience from the food industry when he first started Vital Foods.

“I’ll be totally honest, when I first started experimenting with plant-based food, my own home cooking was absolute crap,” he laughs. “But experimentation is really the key. We spent the first year pretty much doing that. We tried everything—different recipes, formats, flavors, price points.”

In his experience, what’s simple is often what works best—hence why the burrito seems to have caught on with so many of his customers.

About Vital Foods

Vital Foods was founded by Frederik Waagepetersen in 2022, and began as a popup concept in Kompagnistræde with limited space and seating.

The following year, they relocated to the current location in Kompagnistræde, originally envisioned as a café catering mostly to workers in a next-door office hotel. This did not pan out, but Vital Foods still managed to carve out a business in their new location.

Despite growing interest in plant-based food, skepticism remains a major barrier. Many people still assume that plant-based food is either tasteless or ultra-processed.

"The phrase I hear the most from customers is, ‘Wow, this actually tastes good’—as if they were expecting otherwise,” Waagepetersen says of the common consumer response, which is also telling of the stereotypes some people can hold.

Over the course of two years, consumer attitudes have softened considerably, and Vital Foods now get a large number of walk-ins who aren’t explicitly looking for plant-based food. To get through to this audience initially, however, Vital Foods had to take an unorthodox approach—literally giving food away.

The phrase I hear most from customers is, ‘Wow, this actually tastes good’ - as if they were expecting otherwise.

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"In the early days, we’d stop people on the street and offer them a free burrito," he says. "Most people wouldn’t have tried it otherwise. But once they did, they kept coming back. The thing with plant-based food is you tend to just get one shot with most consumers, whereas if they have poor experience with chicken or meat, they won’t write off the entire category from that alone.”

Today, Vital Foods’ customer base consists of a combination of returning local guests, tourists who have done their research and are actively seeking them out, as well as random, curious walk-ins (which is also part of the reason why their location in the city center matters).

As Vital Foods grows, the challenge is to stay true to the vision while reaching more people. Unlike many plant-based brands that rely on highly processed ingredients, Waagepetersen insists on keeping things simple.

"Everything we serve is made from whole foods—no weird additives or ultra-processed products. We make everything ourselves, except for the bread," he says.

But scalability is key. While there’s room for niche plant-based restaurants, Waagepetersen believes the real impact happens when plant-based food becomes as common as grabbing a burger or a kebab.

"If we price ourselves out of the mainstream, we lose the opportunity to make real change," he explains. "It’s about finding the right balance—keeping it affordable while maintaining quality."

If we price ourselves out of the mainstream, we lose the opportunity to make real change

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So where does Vital Foods go from here? Expansion is on the horizon—but cautiously.

"We don’t want to grow too fast. I’ve seen other plant-based spots shut down because they expanded before the demand was truly there," Waagepetersen notes.

Instead, they’re looking at new ways to increase visibility and challenge misconceptions—including a stronger social media presence, street food pop-ups, and even private-label products for supermarkets.

"Consumers are still getting used to plant-based food, and in some ways we still have a ways to go when comparing Copenhagen to bigger cities such as Berlin," Waagepetersen reflects. "But every time someone tries our food and realizes it’s good, it’s a step in the right direction."

Editor’s note: Why we like Vital Foods

… and what others can learn from them.

  • A dogmatic approach risks pushing consumers away. Instead, focus should be on making it as attractive and easy as possible to choose a plant-based meal or diet.

  • Vital Foods is an example that going all-in on convenience does not necessarily mean compromising on quality or nutrition. This way, they aim to bring plant-based food to more people.

  • If you can nail these two factors, the rest will follow. Prejudices concerning plant-based food can only be broken down if you deliver a great tasting experience.