Behind bright yellow doors sits Gainesville’s only vegan po’boy shop, where golden buns hold crisp lettuce, juicy tomato, creamy mayo and savory seitan meat. Frenchmen Street Food features familiar Southern, Cajun-inspired flavors with a twist: The entire menu is vegan.
The idea for the restaurant came from 41-year-old owner John Mamo and his 42-year-old business partner and co-owner, Timothy Hutchens.
“We wish that somebody else would have opened it, so we could have just eaten there instead,” Mamo said.
Mamo went vegan about 10 years ago. After realizing his diet was unhealthy, he started to cook more vegetables and step out of his comfort zone.
“We’re just trying to show people that you could eat Southern food that was vegan, and it could be good,” he said.
Growing up on Southern food, Mamo said starting Frenchmen was a way to preserve the familiar flavors in his vegan diet.
As one of only a few fully vegan restaurants in Gainesville, he said Frenchmen gets an even mix of regulars and out-of-towners.
Tourists stop by on road trips because it’s a good stopping point for people traveling through Gainesville, he said.
Frenchmen started as a food truck but has since added a brick-and-mortar location. The switch had a bit of a learning curve, Mamo said. He quickly had to adapt to new challenges.
When a customer asked for a high chair, Mamo said he was unprepared and promptly ordered some.
The restaurant features a collage wall filled with posters, pictures and patterns. The friendly atmosphere is filled with lots of light and chatty proprietors who engage with clients. Mamo said it’s something he likes about the restaurant.
“I like a personal thing,” he said. “We are doing the vegan thing, which is strange to some people, so we want to make everybody comfortable.”
He tries to make the ambience inviting so everyone feels welcome, even those just starting out on their vegan journey, he said.
“We’re not here as a challenge,” he said.
Brooke Pavek, a 23-year-old UF law student, is a restaurant regular. She first visited Frenchmen at its food truck. When it moved to a fixed location, she had to check it out, she said.
Pavek was a vegetarian for 10 years and is currently vegan. Her favorite dish is the breakfast po’boy, which consists of vegan egg, ham, tomato and mayo inside a toasted hoagie.
“They do it better than a lot of other places,” Pavek said.
She chooses Frenchmen over Gainesville’s other vegan options, she said, and she feels certain the food is high-quality and fully vegan.
She enjoys the restaurant’s tight-knit atmosphere and the owners’ involvement in the community, she added. Pavek is a member of a local roller derby team that often eats at Frenchmen.
“They come to all our roller derby games,” she said. “[They] put their money where their mouth is and their time where their mouth is to give back to the community.”
Timothy Hutchens, the co-owner and operator, has worked in restaurants since he was 15 years old. Opening one himself wasn’t new to him, he said.
According to Hutchens, there are three reasons to go vegan: personal health, animal welfare and the environment.
He wanted his business to align with his vegan values.
“So here I am selling it and not eating it,” Hutchens said.
It’s important to differentiate between vegan food and vegan meat substitutes, he said.
“Everyone’s tried something vegan,” he said. “Everyone eats bread, everyone eats pasta, everyone eats fruit.”
Veganism doesn’t have to be a challenge, he said. Vegan meat isn’t a direct substitute for regular meat, but the trick is noticing how meat is cooked and seasoned, he said.
“I don’t miss chicken wings,” Hutchens said. “I miss buffalo ranch.”
For those trying out veganism, “it’s not all or nothing,” he added.
Hutchens is proud of his restaurant’s small, cozy atmosphere, he said, so his goal is to focus on quality.
“I don’t want to be a faceless automaton,” he said. “I want to be somebody that you can interact with.”
Contact Allison Bonnemaison at abonnemaison@alligator.org. Follow them on X @allisonrbonn.
Allison is a journalism and international studies sophomore. She is the Summer 2025 food reporter at The Avenue. In her free time, she enjoys drawing and finding new music to listen to.
