Our Story
Our Story
Next Level founders Matt and Cierra de Gruyter didn’t set out to build a national restaurant brand — they set out to change the way America eats.
Matt, a former Marine turned oil & gas private equity exec, and Cierra, a lifelong advocate for health and animal welfare, began exploring plant-based eating with their young family. The more they learned, the harder it became to ignore what they saw: a broken food system fueling climate change, harming animals, and threatening public health — with far too few alternatives.
So they took a leap. They packed up their lives and poured everything into a bold new idea: a plant-based burger joint focused on quality, sustainability, and impact — something good for people, animals, and the planet.
That idea became Next Level Burger, America’s first 100% plant-based burger joint chain. In 2024, Next Level acquired the pioneering plant-based restaurant Veggie Grill, and in 2025, the brands launched their first unified All-American Vegan menu — bringing the best of both to tables nationwide. Today, Next Level Burger locations are evolving into a new concept: Next Level Veggie Grill.
With over 20 locations coast-to-coast, Next Level is now the largest wholly owned plant-based restaurant company in North America. But the mission was never just about size or scale — it’s about impact. That’s why every item on our menu is made with an animal-free supply chain, fresh organic veggies, and responsibly sourced ingredients.
From garden to grill, we’re serving food for a better world — every day, in every bite. And yes, Matt and Cierra are still all in — making sure everything we serve lives up to the Next Level name.
Something for Everyone
Whether you're a vegan, meat-eater or anywhere in between, we bet you'll find something you love on our menu. We offer a variety of different protein options to fit your life – and your tastes!
For our guests with dietary restrictions, we offer transparent labeling of allergens, calories and protein.
We proudly source organic fresh veggies, bringing you top quality eats on the daily.
FOR THE PEOPLE • FOR THE PLANET 🌎
Doing the right thing means everything to us.
We commit to organic fresh veggies and wholesome ingredients because it’s right for our guests.
We pay our team members a living wage because it’s right for them.
We commit to sustainability in everything we do because it’s right for the planet.
It takes nearly 2,000 gallons of water to produce a single pound of beef. One third of human-caused methane emissions come from livestock. We can do better, and we should.
The climate crisis demands a swift and complete overhaul of our dining habits, and the data clearly demonstrates that plant-based alternatives are healthier and better for the environment than conventional beef. Studies also show that eating more plant-based proteins increases longevity.
The single best thing you can personally do to combat climate change is choose a plant-based meal – and it’s a really good choice for you personally, too. We thought, why not make choosing plant-based fun, convenient and DELICIOUS?!
Since our founding, we've conserved enough fresh water to fill over 3,000 Olympic sized swimming pools and kept enough carbon emissions out of the atmosphere to fill nearly 1 BILLION birthday balloons! And counting...
Our food is our future. It's never been more true – or more important.
What we eat is everything in fighting climate change.
We believe going plant-based can save the planet.
That's what we're all about – every bowl, every burger, every day.
