Indianapolis now has its first black-owned plant-based burger restaurant courtesy of Kadeesha and Antoine Wiggins. The couple started their business after growing tired of their jobs and the lack of dining options for plant-based eaters in Indianapolis.
“We found ourselves eating the same things over and over, cooking the same things over and over,” Kadeesha Wiggins, co-owner of Burgeezy, told WRTV. “But we were also getting compliments, like tons of compliments from friends and family about what we were cooking. So eventually, we were like, ‘look, we just gonna step out on faith.'”
Launched in 2021, the couple operated out of “Indy’s Kitchen,” sharing a kitchen and storage facility for small local businesses. According to Wiggins, she and her husband had long mulled about launching a vegan burger joint, particularly when they knew the Indy vegan community needed more places to dine without the stress of what they could order.
“We went to Denver a few years back, and the amount of vegan restaurants that they had blew my mind — because we were new vegans at the time — so you know, coming from Indiana where you have maybe three or four spots, and then going somewhere where there’s dozens, it kind of just made us feel like this is a need,” Wiggins explained.
“A lot of people haven’t tried these burgers or have even tried vegan food because it’s not easily accessible,” she added.
Wiggins said the business has experienced exponential growth since it was launched in 2021. Within six months of operation, they received many others requiring them to look for more space.
They got the chance to build a physical location after participating in the Be Nimble Foundation’s Melon Ghost Kitchen Accelerator program. They reportedly got two $5,000 grants and a $50,000 investment from Be Nimble Foundation’s Nile Capital fund, among other resources.
In September this year, they opened their new location on Canal Walk amidst pop and pageantry. However, the business partners said they are now slowing down with the success they have achieved so far.
The entrepreneurs said they plan to expand to different cities across the United States. For now, they are focused on their current location.
“As of right now, obviously we want to make this the best location and then continue to expand and duplicate what we do here,” Kadeesha expressed, according to WISH-TV.
