Taylor McKinnon and Aaron Haxton on co-founding plant-based burger restaurant Mr. Charlie’s

Taylor McKinnon and Aaron Haxton are the co-founders of Mr. Charlie’s – the irreverently joyful, plant-based fast food brand on a mission to feed people with love and purpose. Taylor’s journey from homelessness on the streets of Los Angeles to co-founding one of the most buzzed-about vegan restaurants in America is a powerful story of second chances, creative resilience, and community-driven impact. With Aaron’s background in visual storytelling and experiential branding, they built Mr. Charlie’s as a living art project disguised as a burger joint — one that makes you laugh, think, and feel seen. Driven by a deep commitment to sustainability, inclusivity, and irreverent design, they are reimagining what fast food can be — joyful, ethical, and anything but ordinary  In this episode, we talk about how Aaron and Taylor met, how they created the concept and design behind Mr. Charlie’s, why eating plant-based is important, how they give people who need a second chance a role at Mr. Charlie’s, what it’s like working with your best friend, and much more.    Follow Mr. Charlie’s on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrcharlies/  Subscribe to Version 1's substack: version1podcast.substack.com/  Follow Version 1 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/version1podcast/ Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/waverlycolville