The Fast Casual Nation Podcast offers exclusive interviews with experts ranging from top chefs and brand makers to executives and restaurants who work in one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry. In this episode, I chat with Nicole Marquis, chief executive officer of HipCityVeg about her inspiration for building a vegan fast food brand and bringing plant-based food to everyone.

Marquis shares her background saying, “I was in school for a while for communications and theater. I went to Temple University and then went to California Institute of the Arts and I was studying avant-garde performance art and theater with an emphasis in classical drama. So I was doing Shakespeare, Greek tragedy, and when I came back home I was really searching for something that I was truly passionate about. I love the arts, but I felt like I needed some more direction and something else in my life and I started to read a bunch of books about nutrition and I was vegetarian at the time. LA definitely influenced me.” Marquis says she read The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Eat To Live by Dr. Fuhrman and was quickly convinced to try a plant-based diet when she learned that what we eat has a direct effect on illness and disease.

Marquis talks about how she loves business and says, “I think it's so exciting, I get a thrill out of creating something from nothing, I think it's that creative process brings me a lot of joy. I like building teams of great people who can work together to make something awesome happen.” She spent four years after she had the idea of opening a fast food vegan restaurant writing a business plan and building a financial analysis. Once Marquis developed the full concept, she looked to find the right investors. HipCityVeg opened in Philadelphia in April 2012.

HipCityVeg offers American classics that are plant-based. Marquis says customers can get well-constructed sandwiches, salads, wraps, milkshakes, and a banana whip. Adding it is presented in a way with really good ingredients, good food, and a menu that is better for the planet. She says, “I think people can expect delicious burgers, shakes, and fries in a cool environment. You know a simple and attractive and experience.”

To hear Marquis talk about her vision to create a national and international brand from the beginning, the new delivery-only model, Go Kitchens by HipCityVeg, and about being a digital company, listen to this episode of Fast Casual Nation on Apple Podcasts.