The gas station across El Camino Real from the old Tanforan Mall in San Bruno spent four years selling nothing but plant-based hot dogs, mushroom jerky and dairy-free soft serve alongside its fuel pumps. Now Hangry Planet, billed as North America’s first fully plant-based gas-station convenience store, has changed hands in a deal that topped $12 million.
Founder Bobak Bakhtiari sold the San Bruno property and business for more than $12 million, according to CBS News, which first reported the sale. Brar Pacific Oil took over operations at the site effective May 11, according to Hangry Planet’s own business site. The 1,500-square-foot facility sits at 1199 El Camino Real, where it opened in June 2022 on the footprint of what had been an active Shell station run by TBF Petroleum Inc., per Funcheap.
From Anger-Relief Worker to Vegan Retail Pioneer
Bakhtiari, a former psychiatric mental health worker and actor, took over his family’s station and remade it after watching undercover investigations by Animal Recovery Mission and Animal Equality that exposed factory farming practices, according to Funcheap. It wasn’t his first unconventional move at the pumps — back in June 2008, SFGate reported that Bakhtiari installed a gas-price stress-relief dunk tank, letting frustrated drivers dunk an employee dressed in Shell gear to vent about soaring fuel costs.
Every item stocked inside Hangry Planet was pre-vetted to be 100% plant-based, dairy-free and organic or sustainable, eliminating the need for shoppers to check ingredient labels, per the same account. The store’s shelves included regional organic donuts, mushroom jerkies and dairy-free soft serve, and CBS News reports its menu extended to plant-based hot dogs, chips, breakfast sandwiches and soft serve for commuters grabbing a quick bite…