Dan Zeno, co-owner and founder of Seed Burger vegan fast-casual eatery in New Brunswick, never felt right after eating animal products.

“I was already lactose-intolerant and I noticed that my body was rejecting other things,” said the 30-year-old New Brunswick resident who co-owns Seed Burger alongside his wife, Kaila Zeno. “I was getting heartburn all of the time and I felt very bloated and worn down after eating meat. So, I decided to go cold-turkey vegan in an experiment and I lost 25-30 pounds immediately, my energy shot up and I was thinking more clearly.”

However, Zeno found it difficult to find vegan options when he altered his diet in January of 2017, often driving an hour to find food he could eat. So, as someone who “always wanted to do the most good that I could,” he said, he left his job as a captain in the Air Force in January of 2018 and found the space for his restaurant concept in June of 2018 at 176 Easton Ave., the former home of Crepe One Café.

Seed Burger opened in January with a vegan menu of fast-casual items, such as Impossible Burgers, Beyond Burgers, buffalo chickpea burgers and kale burgers, as well as air fries (not deep fried) and vegan ice cream (including one infused with CBD), sourced from Cookman Creamery in Asbury Park.

“My mission is to uproot the fast-food restaurant,” said Zeno. “A lot of vegan restaurants don’t think about convenience. I think, how can I give customers the convenient experience and not sacrifice the health benefits?”

With a clientele that’s 98 percent non-vegan, many of whom don’t know much about vegan food besides hearing of the Impossible Burger craze, Zeno said it’s Seed Burger’s job to provide a soft on-boarding experience to people who have never had vegan food before and show them other food options available – not necessarily transition them to an entirely vegan lifestyle.

“Some people are afraid of the word ‘vegan,’ but once they try the food, it’s a whole different ball game,” Zeno said. “You see a light go off where people realize ‘I can eat this and not feel bad afterwards.’ When they see a Whopper, they won’t think about it the same way anymore.”

Zeno said the Impossible and Beyond burger names get people in the door, but steadily, people are trying Seed Burger’s other options, such as their giant kale burger. At the end of the day though, Zeno said he wants people to think of the taste of the burgers first.

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“I’m from the South — I don’t even like salad, I like flavors and I like sauce,” he said. "We want to be the best burger shop first. We focus on the taste and experience since we know people will figure out the other stuff, like that we are plant-based and better for the planet.”

With seating for about 25 to 30 people inside and soon-to-come outdoor seating for about 8 to 10 people outside, Seed Burger has about 100 daily guests in the minimalist and modern 1,000-square-foot restaurant, which also features a large plant wall great for selfies.

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Interest in franchising Seed Burger is growing, with about 10 current franchising prospects throughout New Jersey in places including Asbury Park, Edison, Newark, Atlantic City and Hackensack. Much of that interest comes from Seed Burger customers, Zeno said. Franchising is expected to begin in 2020.

“This next generation sees that food is everything,” Zeno said.

"Millennials think, ‘Well I gotta live here and I can’t live in a place that’s not sustainable. I have to deal with the climate change, not you.’ People are having this awareness that the way we used to eat is not sustainable and it's hurting us and people are dying.”

If you go

Seed Burger

Where: 176 Easton Ave Store 1A, New Brunswick

Cost Range: $8.95-$10.95 for a burger, $3.95-$4.95 for fries

Contact: 732-339-8897, seedburger.com

Jenna Intersimone has been covering food, drink and fun in the Garden State for the USA Today Network New Jersey since 2014, after becoming a blogger-turned-reporter following the creation of her award-winning travel blog. Born and raised throughout every corner of NJ, she’s a tried-and-true Jersey girl. Contact her at Jintersimone@Gannett.com or follow her @JIntersimone.