Popular Austin, Texas-based restaurant Mission Burger Co., celebrated the grand opening of its first Atlanta eatery on Thursday with a ribbon cutting and free bites of its vegan classics. Located at 2065 Defoors Ferry Rd NW, co-founder Isaac Mogannam said he’s determined to bring a diner vibe to the plant-based dining scene in Atlanta.
“We’ve had Atlanta on the horizon for quite some time. It’s notorious for having a very plant-based, friendly community. Obviously Slutty Vegan and many others started here, and so it’s always been on our peripheral,” Mogannam said.
Mission Burger was founded in 2023 by Mogannam and Michael Limongelli with the goal of serving 100% plant-based comfort food. When Mogannam met his wife Dina Marto, a music executive based in Atlanta, in 2024, he called it divine intervention. A year later, the business duo expanded to Atlanta.
The menu takes classics such as burgers, crunch wraps, turkey sandwiches, and Reubens and gives them a vegan twist. It also features a variety of other sandwiches, Atlanta-inspired entrees such as wet lemon pepper chicken nuggets, desserts such as cake and cookies, and sides including mac and cheese and loaded fries. Mogannam called it “vegan food for meat lovers.”
“We want them to be able to have a nostalgic connection with the food. We basically take American comfort food classics that we grew up with, and we make them plant-based in a way such that they don’t look, feel, taste, or smell plant-based,” Mogannam said. “So we really want them having that aha moment where they’re like, Wow, I can’t believe this is vegan. I can’t believe this is made from plants. When people say that to us, I feel like that’s the highest honor, and I think that’s when we kind of hit the mark.”
Friends, family, associates, and local business owners celebrated the grand opening. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens attended the ribbon cutting and made a few remarks, sharing that he’d lived right down the street from the location of the new Mission Burger restaurant for 18 years.
“it does my heart good to see another wonderful establishment, to start here and to thrive here. And it’s being done by my friends, great people that contribute to the city of Atlanta in meaningful ways,” Dickens said. “I’ve got a firm belief that this isn’t going to be the last Mission Burger opening here in Atlanta. This is a great example of eco-conscious business, to have this plant-based food that’s here that really keeps us healthy, but also continues to support all different types of diets and palates.”
