https://www.charlotteobserver.com/charlottefive/c5-around-town/c5-development/article247077942.html
Why this restaurant owner picked Charlotte’s west side for his new vegan burger spot.
By DeAnna Taylor
November 13, 2020 09:00 AM,
Updated November 13, 2020 04:10 PM
Demetrius Liverman owns the Boss of Vegan takeout restaurant. Courtesy of Boss of Vegan
If you want to dominate your respective lane, you must consider yourself a boss. For Elizabeth City native Demetrius Liverman, that is the vision for his new vegan burger takeout restaurant,
Boss of Vegan.
Liverman attended North Carolina Central University and went on to work in corporate America, but his dream was to own his own fast food restaurant someday.
“I worked in fast food when I was younger and picked up a lot of valuable skills that I wanted to carry into my own brand one day,” Liverman told CharlotteFive.
His first go round at living out that dream came with his hot dog stand, TopDog, which was located in Durham’s South Point Mall. The business struggled from having to compete with bigger names like Chick-Fil-A, also located in the mall’s food court. But that didn’t stop him from pushing forward.
“I knew that whatever I did next, I would need to include vegan options to help set me apart. Researching about plant-based meat alternatives in preparation for my next business actually encouraged me to change my own lifestyle.”
Boss of Vegan uses Beyond Meat products to create its burgers. Courtesy of Boss of Vegan
Plant-based pop-ups
The TopDog stand officially closed in November 2019, and Liverman shifted the company to a 100% plant-based pop-up format. He was most looking forward to being a vendor at rapper J. Cole’s
Dreamville Festival this year, but COVID-19 postponed the fest — and Liverman’s remaining pop-ups.
To keep the momentum going, he began searching for shared kitchen spaces in the Raleigh area to start his newest venture featuring plant-based burgers. In the meantime, he launched his “boss movement” on social media to share his love of great plant-based food, while also saving the Earth and generating a buzz for the new brand.
“Things took off really fast in Raleigh,” Liverman said. “Soon after launching Boss of Vegan Raleigh, we found a space in Durham, too, and we were running both.”
First time customers are encouraged to share their first bite reaction on social media through the hashtag “first bite challenge.” The tag now features dozens of videos of Boss of Vegan fans showing just how great they think the burgers are, and it continues to grow by the day.
Boss of Vegan’s chili burger. Courtesy of Boss of Vegan
Moving to Charlotte
Issues with the shared spaces Liverman was renting in Durham and Raleigh led him to seek out a location in Charlotte, which is a larger market.
Boss of Vegan Charlotte opened just a few months ago in a shared kitchen space at 4431 Brookshire Blvd. The curbside-only menu features four plant-based burgers made with Beyond patties, homemade chips, vegan chocolate chip cookies and fresh-squeezed mint lemonade.
The current fan favorite is the Boss Burger Deluxe with a Beyond Meat patty, grilled onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles and boss sauce on a Hawaiian bun. All burgers can be upgraded to double patties.
“I wanted to start small with the menu to ensure that people really fall in love with each product before we add more.”
Liverman said opening on Charlotte’s west side was a strategic way for him to bring more plant-based options to the majority Black community in that area.
“Our communities deserve plant-based and vegan options, too. They have actually been my biggest supporters and really helped the brand grow.”
Liverman is on the hunt for permanent locations in Raleigh and Durham and hopes to have all three running by the beginning of 2021.
Boss of Vegan
4431 Brookshire Blvd.
Instagram:
@bossofvegan
Any strip clubs open
