Written By
Regina Luz Jordan
Founder & Editor In Chief
Mr. Charlie’s fast food didn’t show up to be cute and I am here to prove that in Hollywoodland News’ exclusive interview with founder Taylor McKinnon and Adam Wilks.
While the world is focused on their expansion and menu, I caught up with them to discuss how they give back to the community and tell the story that no one else has, in a way that only our founder, Regina Luz Jordan, can make it shine.
Mr. Charlie’s Told Me So showed up to change what fast food feels like. It’s bright red and yellow, with lines down the block and music spilling into the street. And before we get too caught up in a masterclass of love, healing, giving back and second chances, let’s first establish this: Mr. Charlie’s is one of the best restaurants in Los Angeles.
In a city overflowing with smash burgers, tacos and institutions with legacies more than a hundred years deep, Mr. Charlie’s proves that fast food can be delicious first. The food is so unreal I was able to trick my husband into believing it wasn’t plant-based.
It’s the kind of food that makes you feel good as a parent, too, knowing your kids are eating something beyond average fast-food fare. But the real story sits behind the counter.
The name itself nods to the Grateful Dead, a band built on community, resilience and a little cosmic mischief. Co-founder Taylor McKinnon is a Deadhead through and through. He remembers listening to Life of a Sailor on LSD, hearing the lyric “Mr. Charlie told me so,” and realizing it felt like a message written for him. Out of that trip came a promise: to build something bigger than himself, something rooted in joy, love and second chances.
That’s how Mr. Charlie’s was born. Yes, the red and yellow storefronts grab attention. Yes, the burgers are plant-based. But at its core, Mr. Charlie’s fast food is about belonging. It’s about creating a neighborhood where everyone has a place at the table. This is a brand that treats kindness like policy and second chances like standard business practice, mostly because it is. Taylor McKinnon calls it the Mr. Rogers of fast food. After talking with the team, that line sticks because it’s true.
“The restaurant thinks about you before it thinks about itself.” —Taylor McKinnon, Mr Charlie’s Told Me So founder & chef
Taylor’s Journey: From Rock Bottom to Radical Welcome
Before Mr. Charlie’s fast food was a thing, head chef and founder, Taylor McKinnon hit a wall and this is one of the most relatable and human stories you’ll read today.
Taylor’s story isn’t clean or easy. It’s the blueprint for why Mr. Charlie’s even exists. He struggled to find his footing. Dyslexia made school brutal. Trauma piled on top of everything.
The chef life gave him escape, but it came in six-month bursts: work hard, burn out, repeat. He loved flavors, but like so many in the food industry wore him down. And, I mean, he’s not alone.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that within the first year, 17% of restaurants close and when you get to five years, that jumps to 50%. All of this, before life gets in the way.
And that’s exactly what life did for Taylor. Eleven years ago, he hit bottom. and was one of the nearly 100,000 unhoused people in Los Angeles, stuck in cycles that felt impossible to break. “When you’re in it, you don’t see a place outside of that,” he says. “There’s an over the rainbow, but you have to get through the shit first.”
That’s when the Dream Center stepped in. They offered him food three times a day and a place to breathe. This was accountability without judgment and more than anything, this was a place of unconditional love. Pastor Matthew Barnett gave him the kind of steady support that Taylor had never felt before. It slowed his panic and let him believe again.
The Dream Center didn’t just give him shelter, it gave him family. There, Taylor met a volunteer who would become his wife, the love of his life. Out of brokenness came a new beginning, and together they built a family with two kids. He calls it his greatest gift, proof that when love takes root, everything else follows.
He admits now that if he had been given a shot back then, before he was ready, he would have blown it. The healing took time, but it also gave him perspective. “Every difficult thing you go through makes you more aware and more empathetic,” he says. That empathy became the seed for Mr. Charlie’s.
The Dream Center Connection
The Dream Center in Los Angeles is more than a charity. This is a lifeline. Founded in the 1990s, the organization provides housing, meals, addiction recovery, job training, and support for people experiencing homelessness or coming out of incarceration.
For Taylor McKinnon, it was the turning point. Eleven years ago, he was unhoused and at rock bottom when the Dream Center offered him food three times a day, a safe place to breathe, and, most importantly, unconditional love. That experience reshaped his life and became the blueprint for Mr. Charlie’s second-chance hiring model.
Today, the partnership continues. Many of Mr. Charlie’s team members come directly from Dream Center programs, finding stable jobs and community in the process. It’s more than employment. This is dignity, growth and the chance to rebuild.
As Taylor puts it, “Every difficult thing you go through makes you more aware and more empathetic. The Dream Center gave me the love and accountability I needed, and Mr. Charlie’s exists to pass that forward.”
“This isn’t just a brand—it’s something special. It goes beyond food. It’s culture. It’s impact.” —Adam Wilks, Mr. Charlie’s Told Me So, President
Mr. Charlie’s Fast Food is A Safe Space in Red and Yellow
Out of Taylor’s story came the foundation for Mr. Charlie’s. If love and patience could change one life, why not build a restaurant on the same promise?
Second chances aren’t an HR policy here and this is deliberate and with intention Second chances are the heartbeat of the place.
From the start, Mr. Charlie’s committed to hiring people who were overlooked. These are folks coming out of jail and people in recovery. The staff at Mr. Charlies is built out of men and women who knew what it meant to lose everything and fight for a fresh start.
One of the first was Andrew, who walked out of jail with one dream: to reunite with his kids and move back home to his mom. He showed up at Mr. Charlie’s, worked hard, and became a cornerstone of the team. Customers and staff notice this kind of passion and that’s why Mr. Charlie’s exists.
The stores reflect the communities they’re in. In Los Angeles, most of the team is Hispanic. In Sydney, the staff includes Aboriginal hires from Redfern, with a focus on honoring elders, land and culture. That’s not just inclusion. This is respect. The kind that says, “We see you. We value where you came from.”
Step into a Mr. Charlie’s location and the energy is different. Staff call it a safe space. Taylor calls it love in practice.
No one is judged by their past and everyone is measured by how they show up today. The food mirrors that philosophy because it’s light, simple and contains no additives and no bloat. The restaurant thinks about you before it thinks about itself.
“When you’re in it, you don’t see a place outside of that. There’s an over the rainbow, but you have to get through the shit first.” — Taylor McKinnon, Mr Charlie’s Told Me So founder & chef
Scaling Without Selling Out
Growth came fast but not too fast while they focused on intention. From a Venice pop-up that felt too temporary to a Brentwood launch that packed the block, Mr. Charlie’s fast food proved there was hunger for more than just another burger.
Expansion deals followed with Arizona, Canada and even the Middle East. Aaron Haxton talks about hundreds of stores already in motion.
But here’s the thing: they aren’t chasing growth for growth’s sake. The team is selective about who gets to join. “We don’t want people to fail,” Taylor says. “It has to feel like family.” Franchise partners are chosen with the same care as ingredients. If the mission isn’t alive in them, they don’t get the keys.
That’s what sets Mr. Charlie’s fast food apart from other chains. The goal isn’t just to open more doors but it’s to open the right ones. Each new location is a chance to build jobs, honor local communities and keep the second-chance promise alive.
People call them the “vegan McDonald’s,” but Mr. Charlie’s is clear about carving its own lane.
This momentum caught big attention, too. Carma HoldCo, the powerhouse behind TYSON 2.0 and Ric Flair Drip, recently made a strategic investment in Mr. Charlie’s.
Mike Tyson himself backed the move, praising the brand for bringing healthy alternatives to fast food, as a former strict vegan, while giving second chances to people coming out of homelessness and hardship.
“Mr. Charlie’s mission to help and hire those from the homeless community is something that I am truly passionate about, and I look forward to helping many people and communities with the expansion of Mr. Charlie’s across the globe,” Mike Tyson said in a statement in October 2024
“It’s okay not to be okay. Stay connected to your inner child. Keep giving your heart to people.” —Taylor McKinnon, Mr Charlie’s Told Me So founder & chef
Philosophy: Kindness as a Business Model
Taylor doesn’t separate life lessons from business plans. For him, they’re the same thing. He’ll tell you the hardest skill he’s learned isn’t cooking or scaling a brand: it’s listening. This is a man who shared a story with me about buying breakfast for an unhoused neighbor, sitting with them on a bench and just asking questions. He tells Hollywoodland News that it’s about learning to pause instead of react. Putting himself in someone else’s shoes before deciding how to move forward.
That practice shaped the way Mr. Charlie’s runs. Staff are told to be patient, to listen and to lead with love. Mistakes aren’t dealbreakers. They’re moments to grow.
When you step inside, you get it. The red and yellow may catch your eye, but it’s the energy that makes you stay. The brand tells you it’s okay not to be okay. It reminds you to love yourself and to stay connected to your inner child by getting a frowny meal to make you smile.
Mr. Charlie’s fast food creates an environment where kindness is policy, not performance. Even the food follows that philosophy. Burgers are light and fries are crisp, while nothing leaves you feeling heavy. “The restaurant thinks about you before it thinks about itself,” Taylor says.
That’s how they want you to leave the store and that’s not just marketing or a gimmick. They want you to leave better than when you walked in.
“We want to be the Mr. Rogers of fast food.” —Taylor McKinnon, Mr Charlie’s Told Me So founder & chef
Mr. Charlie’s fast Food Loves You Back
Let’s be real, mission aside, the food has to deliver and it does. Mr. Charlie’s fast food doesn’t weigh you down. Burgers are stacked with flavor, fries are crisp and everything feels light. You walk out full, but not sluggish. It’s comfort without the crash.
Taylor designed it that way. He’s a chef at heart and he wanted food that could satisfy cravings while still respecting your body. Watching his kids eat, thinking about his wife’s commitment to healthy living, he created a menu that felt joyful but balanced. No additives, no mystery ingredients.
Mr. Charlie’s fast food is just honest food that happens to be plant-based.
The magic is in the flavor. It’s playful and nostalgic, a nod to the kind of burgers we all grew up on, only better. The Not a Cheeseburger tastes indulgent, the Frowny Meal makes you laugh and everything on the menu reminds you that food can be both fun and thoughtful.
That’s the balance Mr. Charlie’s has nailed. You don’t have to choose between eating well and eating with joy. Here, you get both.
“Second chances aren’t a program. They’re our schedule.” —Taylor McKinnon, Mr Charlie’s Told Me So founder & chef
The Neighborhood We Want is One with a Mr. Charlie’s
Mr. Charlie’s fast food isn’t just another plant-based option in LA. It’s proof that a restaurant can change how we eat and how we treat each other. The food is delicious, the branding is playful, but the heart of it all is love. Love that pulled Taylor out of rock bottom at the Dream Center. Love that built his family. Love that now runs through every team member serving behind the counter.
This is fast food that thinks about you before it thinks about itself. It’s burgers and fries that carry a story of resilience, second chances and community healing. It’s a brand that tells you it’s okay not to be okay and then hands you something warm, crispy and full of joy.
Taylor calls it the Mr. Rogers of fast food, and the comparison fits. Mr. Charlie’s welcomes you with neon colors, cheeky names and kindness baked into every bite. It reminds you that you belong, that you’re part of something bigger and that love really can sit at the center of a meal.
If fast food wore a cardigan, it would be bright red and yellow. It would smile at you, serve you something honest and leave you a little better than it found you. That’s the neighborhood Mr. Charlie’s is building, one order at a time.
You can visit Mr. Charlies in four global locations. For more information on their menus, locations and more, check out MrCharlies.co or on Instagram at @mrcharlies
For Information on The Dream Center in Los Angeles and you can become one of their DreamMakers, check out DreamCenter.org
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