When we discovered the owners of Native Foods Café had their collective eye on San Diego as an upcoming location for the fast casual eatery specializing in 100 percent plant-based fare, I contacted Native Foods partner Daniel Dolan for the scoop. I was writing a weekly food column and I wanted to share the good news with the San Diego community. I had already dined at Native Foods Cafés in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach and I knew San Diegans would warmly welcome the concept.

After writing about the future opening, Daniel and I stayed in touch. He and his business partner, Andrea, are intelligent, compassionate and quirky people and we love their food, so when they approached us about publicizing the Encinitas opening, our team high-fived each other. These are the type of people we love working with.

Native Foods Café is the nation’s top plant-based restaurant, with 14 locations as of last Tuesday, January 29, when the first San Diego location opened in Encinitas Village at 127 N. El Camino Real. Each menu item is under $10 and served in under 10 minutes. With excellent customer service and decidedly delicious grub, it's clear why 95 percent of customers aren't vegan. Factory farming is harmful to animal, human and Earth; the tasty plant-based fare at Native Foods Café makes it easy to limit meat consumption.

San Diegans, be on the lookout: the nifty Native Foods Café lot have their sights set on three more San Diego locations, making San Diego the focal point of expansion this year. Lucky us!

Check out Native Foods Café's fabulous menu and other locations, and learn about the company ethos.