A drive-thru vegan restaurant that proves that fast food can be healthy, too.

Is this your first restaurant?

This isn’t the owners’ (Rich Robinson and Mitch Wallis) first restaurant. Mitch Wallis’s first restaurant opened in 1984 inside a fitness club in Tucson. And he has opened seven more since then.

When did it open?

This restaurant opened as Kung Foods in November 2004, a vegetarian restaurant with similar entrées and aesthetic. It reopened in 2008 as Nature’s Express. Finally in 2010, we downsized and rebranded as Evolution.

Do the owners want to have more than one restaurant?

The owners plan to open many Evolutions across America.

What’s your favorite dish on the menu?

The portobello sandwich, or the “Honey” Mustard Chick’n Wrap.

What’s your most popular appetizer?

Chick’n Tenders with five homemade dipping sauces.

What’s the most popular entrée on the menu?

The bacon cheeseburger, made with tempeh bacon, a tempeh patty, and tapioca cheese, or the California Burrito.

What’s your most popular dessert?

New York cheesecake with fruit topping.

What do you feel is special about your restaurant?

We are one of the only (if not the only) vegan restaurant with a drive-thru window. Also we pride ourselves on our specialty homemade soft-serve and our one-of-a-kind raw milkshakes. And another standout quality of Evolution is our speed; we strive to provide gourmet vegan meals in less than four minutes.

How often do you change your menu items? Do you have daily or weekly specials?

Every morning we conjure a new special entrée. We also create a new soup each day and new soft-serve flavors two to three times per week.

Do you have gluten-free, soy-free, and sugar-free options on your menu?

Yes, many. On top of all of our juices and most of our smoothies, all of our sandwiches can be made both gluten- and soy-free. In addition, we try to cater to soy-free and gluten-free customers with our daily soups and specials.

What do you do to reduce your environmental impact?

We use plant-based containers and utensils that contain no plastic. We recycle all of our used cooking oils, glass bottles, cardboards, etc. And we’re a ninety-nine percent GMO-free restaurant, soon to be one-hundred percent.

What are the most important lessons you’ve learned as owner or chef of this restaurant?

In the words of Mitch Wallis, owner of Evolution, “Everything boils down to love: loving our customers and staff and food and suppliers.” I would add that patience, humility, love, and passion can shine through your cooking and take it to the next level.

What led you to want to open a vegan restaurant, and/or what led you to the vegan diet yourself?

I became vegetarian in 2004 and vegan in 2011. My stepmom was a huge source of inspiration and support in my plant-based endeavors, and now it’s snowballed into an exciting and encompassing lifestyle.

In the time since your restaurant first opened, how has the plant-based food movement changed? Do you find more demand now for vegan food?

Definitely. The best change is that a substantial number of consumers now view vegan as another cuisine category like Mexican or Chinese, so it’s not seen as super extreme and you don’t have to become vegan to enjoy a good vegan meal.

In the time since your restaurant first opened, has your view of what kinds of food choices to offer changed?

There has definitely been a move toward more fusion foods: creative combinations from many cultures and time periods.

Where do you see the plant-based food movement going in coming years?

Evolution embodies a huge part of the future plant-based food movement. We are the only drive-thru vegan restaurant that is poised to grow into an international chain, providing a meaningful alternative to the fast-food giants.

Lentil Curry Stew

Serves 6

⅓ cup olive oil

4 cups diced onion

¼ cup minced garlic

1¼ quarts water

¼ cup tomato paste

¼ cup curry powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

¼ cup agave syrup

½ cup coconut milk

1 teaspoon cumin

1⅓ cups lentils

2 cups thinly sliced red pepper

2 cups sliced carrots

1½ cups green peas, preferably fresh

1 tablespoon sea salt

Heat a saucepan over a medium flame; add the olive oil, and once that’s heated add the onions. Sauté the onions 5 to 7 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and stir for a moment. Add the water, tomato paste, curry powder, cinnamon, agave syrup, coconut milk, cumin, and lentils and bring to a simmer, then cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Throw in the pepper, carrots, and green peas, and simmer until lentils are cooked completely, approximately 20 to 30 minutes. Once the lentils are cooked, add the sea salt, remove from the heat, and serve.

HappyCow Member Reviews for Evolution

Excellent vegan fast food

“Great vegan burgers, sandwiches, and sweet potato fries. I love bringing carnivores here to show them how tasty vegan food can be.”

—SiaEra

My new favorite!

“The food was phenomenal. I have tasted a lot of good vegetarian food and this is up there with the best.”

—erosa

Live Coconut Cacao Cheesecake

Makes one 9" pie

For the filling:

4 young coconuts

1 cup raw agave syrup

¾ cup raw cashews

½ cup coconut oil warmed to liquid

1 tablespoon raw cacao powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pinch salt, preferably Himalayan sea salt

For the crust:

2½ cups Brazil nuts or cashews

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch ground nutmeg

Pinch salt, preferably Himalayan sea salt

⅛ cup to ¼ cup agave syrup

Timing: Pie must chill at least 24 hours before serving.

For the filling: Carefully crack open the coconuts. (You won’t need the coconut water, so feel free to pour it into a jar and save it in your fridge to drink later.) With a spoon, carefully remove the meat from the shell. Try to avoid getting pieces of coconut shell fiber in the mix. Place the coconut flesh into a food processor and process until smooth. Add the agave syrup, cashews, coconut oil, raw cacao, vanilla, and salt into the running food processor. Once the mixture is completely smooth, pour it out into a bowl and set aside while preparing the crust.

For the crust: Add the Brazil nuts (or cashews) to the food processor and process the nuts until they resemble a fine crumb. Toss in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add agave syrup. The crust mixture should have a crumbly but not soggy texture.

To assemble: Press the crust mixture into the bottom of a lightly oiled 9" round pan. Pour the coconut filling mixture into crust. Allow to set at least 24 hours in the freezer before slicing and serving.