Laughing Planet
 | |
.jpg) A Laughing Planet location in Portland, Oregon | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food |
| Founded | 1995 in Bloomington, Indiana |
| Founder | Richard Satnick |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Area served | |
Key people |
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| Products | Fast casual foods, including burritos, bowls, soups, and salads |
| Website | laughingplanet |
Laughing Planet is an American chain of fast casual restaurants specializing in burritos, bowls, soups, salads, and other "healthy food with a global influence." The chain was founded by Richard Satnick in Indiana in 1995 and moved operations to Portland, Oregon in 2000. As of 2025, the chain operates 14 locations in Oregon, Washington, and Nevada, with 7 of them in Portland.[1][2]
In addition to standard fare, Laughing Planet is notable for their extensive vegetarian, vegan, and keto, paleo, and gluten-free options. They has received numerous awards including Willamette Week "Best of Portland" multiple times, and "Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant" in 2016.[3]
History
[edit]The chain was founded by Richard Satnick, who opened the first restaurant in Bloomington, Indiana, in 1995.[4] Satnick relocated to Portland, Oregon in 2000. He moved operations and expanded the chain into Corvallis and Eugene.[4][5]
Satnick sold the chain for an undisclosed amount in 2012; Laughing Planet had ten locations at the time.[4][6] The company began offering employees up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in 2015.[7][8][9]
In August 2015, US Secretary of Labor Tom Perez visited Laughing Planet and spoke with employees.
Laughing Planet had ten locations in 10 restaurants in the Portland metropolitan area, two each in Eugene and Reno, Nevada, and one each in Bend and Corvallis, as of late 2018.[5]
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As part of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company received between $1 million and $2 million in federally backed small business loan from Beneficial State Bank as part of the Paycheck Protection Program. The company stated it would allow them to retain 245 jobs.[10]
- Laughing Planet locations
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Reception
[edit]Laughing Planet ranked tenth in The Oregonian's 2017 readers' poll of Portland's best inexpensive restaurants.[11]
The chain has been recognized by Willamette Week's "Best of Portland" readers' poll many times. The company was a runner-up in the "Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant" category in 2015.[12] In 2016, Laughing Planet won in the "Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant" category, and placed third in the "Best Vegetarian Restaurant", "Best Paleo Options", and "Best Place to Eat Sustainably" categories.[13] The chain won in the "Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant" category, and was runner-up in the "Best Vegetarian Restaurant" and "Best Place to Eat Sustainably" categories in 2017.[14]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "About". Laughing Planet Cafe. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ "Locations". Laughing Planet Cafe. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ Politzer, Kerry (2018-12-20). "Laughing Planet: Two decades of family-friendly healthy eating | Oregon Jewish Life". Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ a b c Russell, Michael (14 December 2012). "Laughing Planet Cafe chain sold". oregonlive.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ a b "Laughing Planet opens in Vancouver". 13 December 2018. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ DeJesus, Erin (14 December 2012). "Laughing Planet Founder Richard Satnick Sells Chainlet". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ Rede, George (23 January 2015). "Laughing Planet Cafe, known for burritos, adds paid parental leave to its menu". oregonlive.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ Rede, George (27 January 2015). "Meet the woman behind Laughing Planet Cafe's new paid parental leave policy: Q&A with Katie Freeman". oregonlive.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ Shah, Khushbu (27 January 2015). "Awesome Restaurateur Gives Three Months Paid Parental Leave to All Employees". Eater. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ Syed, Moiz; Willis, Derek (7 July 2020). "LAUGHING PLANET CAFE, LLC - Coronavirus Bailouts - ProPublica". ProPublica. Archived from the original on 8 July 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
- ^ Bakall, Samantha (23 February 2017). "Readers pick Portland's 10 best inexpensive restaurants: Cheap Eats 2017". oregonlive.com. Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ "Best of Portland Readers' Poll". Willamette Week. 2015-07-14. Archived from the original on 2017-04-19. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
- ^ "Best of Portland Reader's Poll 2016: The Complete List of Winners". Willamette Week. 2016-07-18. Archived from the original on 2017-04-16. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
- ^ Kilts, Alie (2017-07-12). "Here are the Winners of the Best of Portland Readers' Poll 2017". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2019-01-06. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
External links
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