Clover Food Lab facts for kids
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| Industry | Food |
|---|---|
| Founded | October 2008 |
| Headquarters | Cambridge, Massachusetts |
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Number of locations
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12 restaurants, (as of May 2017[update]) |
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Area served
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Boston, Sudbury, Cambridge, Burlington, Westford, Somerville |
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Key people
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| Products | Fast food |
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Number of employees
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400 (May 2017) |
Clover Food Lab is a fast-food chain that serves delicious vegetarian food. It started in 2008 and has food trucks and restaurants in Massachusetts, USA. Their menu changes every day and with the seasons. They use fresh ingredients from local farmers. Many of their ingredients are organic. You can also get meal delivery boxes and catering from them.
Contents
The Story of Clover Food Lab
Clover Food Lab was started in October 2008 by Ayr Muir. He studied at MIT and Harvard Business School. He began with just one food truck near MIT. By summer 2018, Clover Food Lab had about 400 employees. They ran 12 restaurants around the greater Boston area.
Big events like the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2023 United States banking crisis made things tough for Clover. They had to close their Back Bay location in August 2023. In November 2023, due to high rents and low sales, Clover Food Lab had to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. But they worked hard and came out of bankruptcy in April 2024.
Clover's Green Goals
Ayr Muir, the founder, cares a lot about the environment. He is even a distant cousin of the famous naturalist John Muir. Ayr started Clover Food Lab because he wanted to help the planet. He wants to make fresh, local, and sustainable vegetarian food easy to find. He hopes it can be as common as food from places like Burger King or McDonald's.
Clover's food trucks are old cargo vehicles that have been changed. They run on recycled vegetable oil to be more eco-friendly. All their forks, napkins, and other items can be composted. This means they break down naturally and don't harm the earth. Even though Clover focuses on green food, Ayr Muir doesn't always advertise it that way. He thinks people might not try it if it sounds too "healthy."
Cool Design of Clover Places
Clover Food Lab's trucks and restaurants have a simple, modern look. They often feel a bit like a laboratory. The walls are plain white. Menus are written on whiteboards with black markers. The restaurants are very bright and mostly have stool seating.
The kitchens often look like they could be set up anywhere. Staff take orders and payments using iPads. They give change from money belts instead of big cash registers. This makes the whole experience quick and modern.
"Pay What You Want" Day
Clover Food Lab often has a "Pay What You Want Day" when a new location opens. This special day lets people try the food and helps the staff practice. In 2015, they had one for the opening of CloverHFI in Central Square.
In 2016, Clover Food Lab opened three new restaurants and one food truck. All of them had a "Pay What You Want Day." All the money collected on these days was given to The Food Project. This group helps teach young people about farming and food.
Images for kids
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Inside the Inman Square location
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Seating at the Harvard Square Massachusetts Avenue location
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The very first location in Harvard Square
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The Assembly Square location
