In the coming month or two, the eatery will open at the prime Hillcrest<\/a> address of 3896 Fifth Ave., at the corner of University Avenue, where Chocolat last resided. It will also launch in Pacific Beach<\/a> at 1560 Garnet Ave., which was previously occupied by Brazilian Bowls.<\/p>\n Both locations will offer the same menu, along with a design scheme of red and yellow.<\/p>\n It is a color combo that Mr. Charlie\u2019s co-founder, Taylor McKinnon, said has been scientifically shown to evoke nostalgia and appetite. (Think McDonald\u2019s, Burger King, Carl\u2019s Jr., and In-N-Out Burger.)<\/p>\n Turning a life around<\/strong><\/p>\n McKinnon, originally from England, was homeless and battling addiction 11 years ago.<\/p>\n Through moral support and financial help he received from the Dream Center in Los Angeles, he was able to turn his life around and tap into his inventive, humanitarian self.<\/p>\n He subsequently fell in love with a woman, whom he later married. They now have two young sons. He also teamed up with business partner and photographer Aaron Haxton to start a marketing agency 10 years ago in Los Angeles called Clyde + Seventh.<\/p>\n But the magic moment in McKinnon\u2019s career hit when he and Haxton debuted Mr. Charlie\u2019s in Hollywood in 2022. It generated immediate fanfare, and even a celebrity endorsement from Mike Tyson.<\/p>\n Expanding the plant-based brand <\/strong><\/p>\n Since then, franchised locations of Mr. Charlie\u2019s have emerged in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sydney, Australia. In the coming year, 13 others are due to open throughout Arizona.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted something that\u2019s going to make you feel like a kid, with a little bit of a circus look in classic American fun colors,\u201d said McKinnon, who attended catering school and created menus while working in restaurants throughout the UK before moving to California.<\/p>\n The food choices at Mr. Charlie\u2019s appear remarkably similar to the top sellers at McDonald\u2019s, with the exception that everything is plant-based. Burger and chicken patties, as well as the \u201cNot Chicken Nuggets,\u201d are made with organic non-GMO soy. And the produce used for garnishments is also organic.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can taste the difference when there are no pesticides. This is fast food re-imagined,\u201d McKinnon noted. <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Mr.-Charlies-Mr-Chuck-burger-by-Aaron-Haxton.jpeg\")
<\/a>The Mr. Chuck burger. (Photo courtesy Aaron Haxton)<\/p>\n