Project Pollo Sells Out

A cookies and cream milkshake from Project Pollo (Photo by Melanie Haupt)

Project Pollo announced over the weekend that it had sold its “infrastructure, team, leadership, and locations” to a national group and that it would start turning over its locations in San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Austin on April 16.

San Antonio-based Project Pollo was launched by Lucas Bradbury in 2020, offering a vegan fast-food chicken sandwich alternative to the major national chains. Project Pollo also offered plant-based burgers, popcorn “chikn,” and delicious oat milk-based milkshakes. In addition to making plant-based food more accessible, Bradbury also emphasized sustainability and affordability.

Bradbury has not yet named the operation that has bought Project Pollo, but describes it as similar to Zoe’s Kitchen or CAVA.

There are two Project Pollo locations in Austin: The 2438 West Anderson Lane location, previously occupied by the erstwhile, beloved Verts (later Noon Mediterranean), will turn over to the new ownership soon. The location at 1401 Rosewood in East Austin will remain open and under Bradbury’s purview, with a “focus on innovation and curating menus that fit what we are passionate about.”

Bradbury took Project Pollo to Shark Tank in 2022, seeking a $2.5 million investment in exchange for a 5% stake in the business. He told the sharks that he wanted to expand aggressively, opening one location a month. The sharks didn’t bite.

Folks still in possession of Project Pollo gift cards have until the end of the month to use them at their nearest Project Pollo location.