DEARBORN, Mich. (WXYZ) — On Michigan Avenue, Unburger is picking up steam for its Un-original food. The co-owner, Christopher Oliver, says everything on the menu is 100% plant-based.
"I want Unburger to be the McDonalds of the vegan world. I want to be all across the nation, all around the globe," Oliver said.
Once a meat lover, Oliver dove into the world of a plant-based diet after a health scare.
"Cancer, diabetes, just in general a wreck," Oliver said.
Now, the 60-year-old says his health is in a good place.
"I feel 20," said Oliver.
While sales from here have helped fatten up his wallet.
"I think I danced a jig every time I went home," Oliver said
The business wasn't always the same, especially during the pandemic.
"I really thought it was over," Oliver said.
The Lapeer native first launched the concept in 2018 as Unbruger Grill.
"Why did people tell you that Dearborn would be a bad choice?" I asked him
"That Dearborn was predominately Muslim, everyone told me that you will just never survive there. You just won't get the support you need. But I found it to be the absolute opposite," Oliver said.
During the struggle days, Oliver says the community rallied behind his business and looked for ways to assist.
"I was talking to a customer. And he said 'if there was anything I could do to help you, what would it be?' And I said, 'find me some investors', joking, I had never imagined that guy was going to reach out to Karl," Oliver said.
Karl Makky, Moe Abdallah, and Tony Duhnai are the ones who came to Chris's rescue.
"Is it important for you guys to showcase that it's more than business?" I asked.
"Here in Dearborn, it's a tight-knit community; people love supporting each other. Any time there is a new business, everybody comes and supports you. And that's the culture that we have around here," Moe said.
"You guys could have easily, bought this place out, why did you decide to keep Chris?" I asked.
"Because Chris was a unique part of it for us, and we felt like Chris' story was so touching to us, we felt we got to build of this," Karl said.
And that's why, for Oliver, this isn't a partnership; it's a fellowship.
"And that's been our motto from the beginning," Oliver said.
"What does that even mean?" I asked.
"It means we are more than partners. We are connected in our heart," Oliver said.
According to Good Food institute, the U.S. retail market for plant-based foods is worth $8.1 billion. Plus, with a fresh new look and fellowship, Unburger is hitting new levels of growth.
"You have to have passion, especially when it comes to food, and sometimes egos get in the way, but one thing about our group is there is no egos," Moe said.
To learn more about Unburger, head to the link below.
