Where Is Project Pollo From Shark Tank Today?
Lucas Bradbury founded Project Pollo as a way to encourage consumers to try more plant-based meat alternatives. He hoped that by offering high-quality products in a convenient, affordable takeout format, more people would be enticed to try them.
Bradbury told the "Shark Tank" investors that he believed many cheaper fast-food meats were "questionable" and that higher-quality products could get more costly. Bradbury created hand-breaded patties made from soy, meant to mimic the flavor of a chicken sandwich. Though this sandwich was the flagship menu item, the restaurant also sold burgers, salads, wraps, and buffalo macaroni and vegan cheese.
Project Pollo began out of a food truck before expanding to brick-and-mortar restaurant locations. At the time of Bradbury's "Shark Tank" appearance, Project Pollo was gearing up to open its 11th and 12th locations. Bradbury had high hopes for his company and sought a steep investment from the Sharks to continue the company's growth.
Bradbury wanted a huge investment
Lucas Bradbury took his food to "Shark Tank" in Season 13, Episode 24. Bradbury brought samples of a variety of foods for the Sharks to taste test, which they were impressed with. He asked the Sharks to invest $2.5 million in exchange for just 5% of Project Pollo.
Barbara Corcoran was concerned that the restaurant's name was misleading and that customers wouldn't know the chicken was plant-based. However, Bradbury said employees explain at the counter that the food is vegan and offer samples or free food to convince reluctant customers. Kevin O'Leary was more concerned about the high valuation of the company, and Corcoran agreed that it seemed "way too spectacular." Bradbury revealed that he'd found a prior investor and got great rates on 10-year leases for his locations. O'Leary remained concerned with finances and ultimately went out.
Mark Cuban was worried about the health-conscious consumers and thought the vegan fried food trend might end, so he went out, too. Guest Shark Kevin Hart was worried about the speed at which the company was growing and went out after deciding the deal was too risky. Corcoran compared Project Pollo to Tom and Chee, which also expanded quickly. Corcoran said the grilled cheese company took off too fast and ultimately "lost everything." She was paranoid this situation would be too similar, so she decided to opt out. Lori Greiner shared Corcoran's concerns and was also out.
Ultimately, Bradbury walked away without any investments from the Sharks.
The company grew too quickly
Unfortunately, Barbara Corcoran's concerns held validity. Though Project Pollo experienced rapid growth before appearing on "Shark Tank," it wasn't sustainable, and several locations ultimately had to close. In a March 10 Instagram post, Lucas Bradbury shared that he planned to keep growing the company, "but only when leadership and market are ready." It seems that Bradbury's dream of serving exclusively plant-based meat alternatives wasn't fully sustainable, either; he launched Side Chicks, which serves real chicken versions of Project Pollo's food, in February 2023.
Bradbury also shared on Instagram that he is going to implement "virtual kitchens" through vegan partnership kitchens, which will allow customers to order Project Pollo's food only through food delivery partners including DoorDash and UberEats. He also revealed that Project Pollo was in the process of partnering with national brands and hoped to see its products on menus nationwide in the future. One Instagram post suggested that he was also looking into selling frozen versions of the food in grocery stores.
Though the company is working on restructuring, several of its restaurants remain open. Today, Project Pollo operates seven brick-and-mortar locations serving vegan food — six in Texas, and one in Las Vegas.