Down to Earth

Dallas' Sinelli Concepts partners with Earth Burger for vegan expansion

San Antonio chain is noted for its stacked vegan burgers.

Earth Burger

A Dallas restaurant group is stepping in to help a vegan burger chain go big. Earth Burger, the San Antonio-based chain that does a vegan spin on a fast-food joint, has partnered with Sinelli Concepts, owner of concepts such as Which Wich Superior Sandwiches, who will help launch a national expansion.

The new partnership has already resulted in a brand redesign plus updates to the menu that will include the addition of breakfast and a coffee program, coming soon.

Earth Burger was founded in 2014 with the goal to do a healthier plant-based version of drive-thru fast food, after co-founder and chef Mike Behrend switched to a plant-based diet and lost 70-plus pounds. There are currently two locations in San Antonio, one in San Marcos, and one in Nacogdoches.

They're a 100 percent plant-based restaurant famous for their stacked burgers and krinkle-cut fries, plus chick'n and "fishless" sandwiches, wraps, wings, bowls, and corn dogs, as well as healthier items such as kale salad, edamame, and carrots & hummus.

“As a Texan, I can strongly confirm meat is a central part of Texas food culture – but believe me when I tell you these burgers are just as tasty," Behrend says in a statement. "You’re not settling for an average bland fast food meal at Earth Burger. Our completely meatless menu features bold recipes and sauces we create in-house, bringing out the best flavor in our dishes. We want to provide a really delicious meal that just happens to be plant-based."

House-made chef-style sauces include agave mustard, BBQ ranch, poblano ranch, "secret" sauce, spicy mayo, and tartar sauce.

There's a big selection of kids items including a grilled cheese sandwich and chick'n tenders, as well as vegan desserts including coconut-milk soft-serve and milkshakes, often offered in seasonal flavors such as their current pumpkin spice.

Sinelli Concepts founder Jeff Sinelli has been a pioneer in the vegan realm, early to offer vegan items at all of his restaurants, and even dabbling in a vegan diet himself.

Sinelli was heavily involved in the Kickstarter campaign that helped launch the first Earth Burger restaurant in San Antonio’s Park North Shopping Center. He also aided them with concepting and branding.

In a statement, he says that Sinelli Concepts is proud to partner with a Texas-based brand that takes pride in offering customers accessible plant-based options.

"We’ve seen a trajectory of demand for plant-based food and more sustainable options," Sinelli says. "The future of fast food is here, and we know plant-based lovers and novices alike will enjoy Earth Burger’s flavorful offerings."

They're hosting a franchising party in San Antonio in early November, but there's also information online at www.earthburger.com/franchise.

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Brianna Caleri contributed to this story.

vegan lunch dinner burgers

Tex-Mex News

Get Tex-Mex and bargain margs at Alexander's Cantina in North Dallas

A Mexican restaurant with a killer happy hour has debuted in North Dallas: Alexander's Cantina & Cocina, a family-owned restaurant and bar, has opened at 4805 Frankford Rd. #105, a space most recently occupied by Casa Don Luis Tex-Mex and before that, a Corner Bakery.

Alexander's is a bigger-and-better spinoff of Alexander's Mex Cuisine, a restaurant opened in Plano in 2023 by Bernardo Garduño and his family, featuring Tex-Mex and street food from his hometown Mexico City.

Garduño worked for many years in the service industry before coming to Dallas in 2015. He crafted Alexander's menu by drawing on his restaurant experience, along with recipes from his mom.

Signature dishes include:

Pambazo — Mexican bread dipped in chili sauce, filled with potatoes, chorizo, and queso, then fried
Alambre — steak, ham, and bacon with onion, peppers, and cheese
Bistek a la Mexicana — steak tips, onion, and bell pepper simmered in a spicy tomato sauce until it turns into a stew

Other crowd-pleasers include chicken mole, brisket tacos, birria, fajitas, enchiladas, and more. They have a big selection of seafood including tacos with salmon and coconut shrimp, plus vegetarian options such as veggie fajitas and spinach enchiladas. One favorite extra: Their chips come not only with salsa but also black bean dip.

The new location has given them room to grow in a way they were unable to do in Plano, Garduño says.

"Plano is doing very well but that location is small, and there was no room to expand," he says. "We did extensive renovations at the Dallas location that included the addition of a bar, as well as room for parties and entertainment, like salsa on Fridays and Saturdays."

The menu at the two locations is basically the same but Dallas has a few new dishes such as mojarra frita, a whole tilapia fried and served with rice, plus carnitas, and a few more tacos, he says.

One item they recently dropped: soft-serve margaritas. Garduño was quick to jump on that early 2026 trend, and Alexander's made many a "soft-serve margarita" list, but the trend turned out to be short-lived.

"It did well for a month, but people went right back to regular margaritas," he says. "Those drinks are fun but they're very sweet. The mix has to be highly sugared in order to get the texture correct. The ingredients and equipment to make it were expensive, which meant we had to charge more for it — $16 as opposed to $10 for our regular margaritas."

Garduño has kept an eye on the trend. "We're not the only place no longer doing it," he says.

Besides, it was not a good fit with Alexander's generous happy hour, featuring $5.50 house margaritas, $6 flavored margaritas, and $4 beer, available from 11 am-6 pm every day at the Plano location, and Sunday-Thursday at Dallas.

"Our happy hour has become one of our trademarks," he says.

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Down to Earth

Dallas' Sinelli Concepts partners with Earth Burger for vegan expansion

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Get Tex-Mex and bargain margs at Alexander's Cantina in North Dallas

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