Couple-turned-business-partners Yoniara Montoya and Robert Harris are expanding their food venture.
The founders are bringing the people of Fayetteville, NC, a new vegan restaurant that will be located near their popular food truck, according to The Fayetteville Observer.
The labor of love was years in the making. Before diving into entrepreneurship with a focus in the food industry, Montoya was diagnosed with acute heart failure in 2019. She then shifted to veganism, which helped her drop 125 pounds and forgo her reliance on heart medication.
What’s more, following her health improvements, she felt compelled to help others. So, she created a blog and scaled her vision even further with the opening of a vegan food truck — and now Fayetteville’s third vegan restaurant.
“Seeing the benefits made me want to share it with my community,” she told the outlet. “I wanted to share it with as many people as possible.”
Now, Montoya will continue to serve customers and introduce them to various vegan foods through the restaurant, The Vegan Spot, working alongside Harris.
Customers can look forward to menu items that will center on pizza, having toppings such as vegan pepperoni, sausage, chicken, or shrimp with a house cheese blend. Not to mention appetizers will include pepperoni croissants and garlic knots with marinara sauce.
Plant-based takes on turkey, ham, salami and buffalo chicken can be found as well.
The 2,500-square-foot restaurant will open its doors on Jan. 17, 2024, seating 32 guests at a time.
“I feel like we’re waking it up. We’re going to have it jumping as soon as we open,” Montoya expressed, according to The Fayetteville Observer.
She added, “We know it’s going to be crowded. We’re prepared for the madness.”
In the future, Montoya hopes to elevate their offerings by adding wine to the menu, and she is currently in the process of securing approval from the county. For now, they will have soft drinks, bottled cold-pressed juices and smoothies, sparkling water, and iced tea.
