It is the end of an era for Vallejo’s Vegan Mob.
Saturday, Feb. 21, marked the final day of operations for the popular plant-based restaurant’s “707” location off Virginia Street in downtown. The Vallejo storefront was part of a Bay Area franchise that continues to operate in San Bruno and Oakland.Known for its signature finger-licking soul food — including smackaroni & cheese or plant-based mains like juicy brisket and Louisiana fried chicken — Vegan Mob was among the early locations to help usher in the East Bay Vegan Renaissance of 2020.
Early this month, via social media, founder and Bay Area rapper Toriano Gordon announced the closure of its Vallejo location, citing a strategic shift towards franchising.
“To go to the next level, sometimes you’ve got to take a step back,” he said. “I had to make the decision to either ride with it or cut it short to continue my journey with franchising.”
Gordon said the move was not made lightly, but was necessary as a means to better position both himself and the brand for long-term growth. “Sometimes you’ve got to make those decisions to grow,” he says.
As with many small businesses in today’s current economic climate, Vegan Mob experienced a slower season in recent months. At the Vallejo location, this started back in November.
The shift forced Gordon to take a more hands-on approach in the restaurant’s daily operations, pulling him away from the creative aspects of entrepreneurship where he feels he thrives: the innovation.
“I want to create the culture — that’s who I am,” says Gordon. “If I’m behind the counter the whole time, I can’t do all these other things that really make (the business) successful.”
As a result, “I’ve got to stick to my own plan,” he says. “Stay the course. That’s not to mean that Vegan Mob is not my course, it is for sure, but my talent is the creative side — the recipes, being the face, the marketing, pumping the team up.”
Despite the closure of its beloved Vallejo location, Gordon hinted toward the continued expansion with operations of their popular food truck and an upcoming “Vegan Mob Tour” beginning in Los Angeles, come March.
Community support remained strong up until its final day. So strong, in fact, that Gordon could only describe it as “bananas,” whereas both old and new customers turned out.
“As always, a lot of people came out and showed love,” he said. Since its opening in August 2024, the support from Vallejo’s unique community, Gordon explained, has remained consistent.
Over time, “it has become one of my second homes,” he said. “Vallejo has always shown me love. Despite hailing from San Fransicsco, he says, “I feel like I found another home here.”
As for the business owner’s long-term plans, he’s continuing his path toward becoming a franchisor. “You heard it here first,” he laughed, “that’s the next steps, doing all the proper steps to become a franchisor.”
The closure of his Vallejo location, he noted, does not mean goodbye. He expressed plans to continue pop-ups in Vallejo and help return the community same support that he first received. “I’m definitely going to pull up and show some love because, as I said, Vallejo showed me love,” said Gordon.
“I gave a lot of love, a lot of time into Vallejo — it takes a lot of work,” he said. “But I thought long, and I needed to focus on franchising, you know? Get back to where I wanted to go.”
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