Planta, the once–white-hot, celeb-magnet vegan restaurant that put upscale veganism on Miami Beach's dining map in 2018, has officially shuttered its South Beach flagship. Its younger siblings, Planta Queen in Coconut Grove, which opened in November of 2020, and Planta Queen in Fort Lauderdale, have followed suit. The closures, which unfolded quietly over the past two months, come on the heels of a May Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by the brand's parent company, CHG US Holdings LLC.
Florida Locations Removed from Map Amid Bankruptcy Filing
The first domino to fall was Planta West Palm Beach, which closed May 20, just days after the May 12 bankruptcy filing, in which the Miami Beach–based company cited decreased consumer spending and rising operational costs. By June, the South Beach location appeared to have served its last mushroom "bacon" burger. Coconut Grove's Planta Queen was still seating guests as late as July 15, but less than a week later, its lights were off for good.Court filings paint a sobering picture: liabilities between $100 million and $500 million, debts to landlords and suppliers, and rent obligations like $613,188 owed to a West Hollywood property owner and $112,407 to CityPlace Retail in West Palm. Still, the company insists funds remain for unsecured creditors, signaling hopes for a reorganization rather than a full collapse.
Its South Beach Flagship Was a Showstopper Between 2018-2020
When Planta landed on Collins Avenue seven years ago in March 2018, a partnership between Toronto's Chase Hospitality Group, chef David Lee, and hospitality heavyweight David Grutman, it felt like a power move for Miami's dining cred. Here was a chef-driven vegan concept with sushi rolls made from watermelon to mimic tuna, pizza topped with cashew mozzarella, and a clientele in couture.At the time, Grutman had brought the two-year-old Toronto sensation to South Beach, falling in love with it on a trip up north. With chef David Lee at the helm, Planta served technicolor plates of fruit-, vegetable-, and nut-based creations to a dining room packed with A-listers. DJ Khaled, Hailey Baldwin, Bella Hadid, Mark Wahlberg, Rob Gronkowski, and Pharrell Williams all stopped by. As Grutman told New Times in 2018: "When you come to one of my restaurants, you'll probably see a star, but you’ll also be treated like a star." And for years, Planta delivered on that promise.
South Beach lapped it up, and expansion to the Grove and beyond followed fast. But expansion can be a double-edged sword. While Planta still operates in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and D.C., its Florida footprint is now wiped clean. In a summer already littered with "temporarily closed" signs and euphemistic "pauses," Planta's sudden disappearance hits differently — less like a seasonal hibernation and more like the end of an era for Miami's plant-based fine dining scene.
For now, Miami vegans will have to look elsewhere for their truffle-scented cauliflower tots. And the rest of us are left wondering how, in just a few weeks, a Florida vegan empire vanished from the Sunshine State.
