Planta, a full-service vegan restaurant chain, will continue to operate its downtown Bethesda location despite the company filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Tuesday, according to a statement from the eatery emailed to Bethesda Today.
“Our day-to-day operations in Bethesda and commitment to exceptional guest experiences remain fully intact,” the Wednesday statement said. “We’re confident this process will position us to accelerate innovation and deliver even greater value to our guests and partners.”
Planta serves plant-based adaptations of dishes such as sushi, tartare, spaghetti carbonara, beef and broccoli, chicken sandwiches and burgers, according to its menu. Open since 2022, the Bethesda restaurant at 4910 Elm St. is on Bethesda Row next to eateries Matchbox and Mama Lucia.
In its statement, the restaurant chain said it is using its Chapter 11 filing as a “strategic opportunity to streamline our cost structure and strengthen our balance sheet.” Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code allows for reorganization to keep the business alive and pay creditors.
According to Planta’s court filing, a combination of factors led to the bankruptcy, including financial burdens produced by the pandemic, consumer slowdown due to inflation and increased labor and food costs.
The Miami-based restaurant chain, which was founded in 2016, saw “significant success early” on, with roughly $3.5 million in sales in its first year to more than $46 million in 2024, according to the filing.
However, despite making adjustments, Planta’s financial hardships were exacerbated by a “condensed and rapid construction schedule of 12 restaurants in three years,” the filing said.
Planta has 13 locations in the United States and two in Canada. In addition to its Bethesda eatery, the chain has two locations in Washington, D.C. The Bethesda location was part of Planta’s strategy to expand into the D.C.-area market.
“We had a location downtown in D.C. during the pandemic that we ultimately got rid of, and [we opened] in Bethesda because we loved the community,” Planta founder Steven Salm told Bethesda Today in February 2022. “This area has continued to improve and get better, even during the work-from-home and remote work era that we’re kind of graduating out of.”
