All-vegan Bay Area gas station changes hands for $12 million

Hangry Planet, billed as America’s first all-vegan gas-station convenience store, sold for $12 million, a price its founder Bobak Bakhtiari described as “astonishing.” The San Bruno location launched in 2022 with a menu of egg-free breakfast items, Beyond Meat products, veggie burgers and vegan hot chocolate, aiming to prove that on-the-go meals need not rely on animal agriculture. Bakhtiari, who was motivated after seeing a documentary on dairy farming, noted an early 20 percent dip in sales when the store went fully plant-based, followed by a rebound of about 30 percent as the concept gained traction.

The shop’s eye-catching exterior, featuring large sculptures and an immersive virtual-reality car wash, turned it into a regional draw, with customers such as Tyler MacNiven traveling 20 minutes from Sunnyvale twice a month despite driving electric vehicles. The sale, far above the amount Bakhtiari anticipated, will see him shift focus to franchising the Midwest vegan fast-food brand Unburger. The transaction underscores growing investor interest in niche, sustainability-focused retail concepts.