Laughing Planet
Laughing Planet is an American fast-casual restaurant chain known for burritos, bowls, soups, salads, and broadly inclusive vegetarian and dietary-specific menus.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Laughing Planet is an American fast-casual restaurant chain founded by Richard Satnick in Bloomington, Indiana, in 1995. The concept centers on burritos, bowls, soups, salads, and related dishes described around the idea of healthy food with global influence. Its menu has developed a particularly broad appeal for customers seeking vegetarian, vegan, keto, paleo, and gluten-free choices, while also retaining mainstream fast-casual offerings suitable for families and children. Satnick moved the company's operations to Portland, Oregon, in 2000. Portland became the brand's principal base and its most concentrated market, although the chain also expanded into other Oregon communities and into Nevada and Washington. The company grew in stages, establishing a regional rather than national footprint. By late 2018, reported locations included restaurants in the Portland metropolitan area, Eugene, Reno, Bend, and Corvallis. As of 2025, Laughing Planet operated 14 locations across Oregon, Washington, and Nevada, including seven in Portland. The brand's positioning combines convenience with an emphasis on menu flexibility and perceived healthfulness. Its offering accommodates several dietary preferences and restrictions without limiting the business to a single specialty. Vegetarian and vegan dishes are prominent, while keto, paleo, and gluten-free options provide additional points of differentiation. This breadth has helped Laughing Planet appeal to health-conscious diners, families, and customers looking for relatively inexpensive meals in a casual setting. Laughing Planet has also received recurring local recognition. Willamette Week readers have selected or ranked the chain in multiple Best of Portland categories, including kid-friendly dining, vegetarian food, paleo options, and sustainable eating. The Oregonian's 2017 readers' poll placed it tenth among Portland's best inexpensive restaurants. These recognitions reflect a strong local identity, particularly in the Portland restaurant market. The company changed ownership in 2012, when Satnick sold the chain for an undisclosed amount. At that time, the business had ten locations. Laughing Planet subsequently became notable for workplace policies as well as food, including an announcement in 2015 that employees could receive up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company received between $1 million and $2 million in federally backed Paycheck Protection Program financing through Beneficial State Bank. The company said the support would help it retain 245 jobs. Laughing Planet remains an active regional restaurant brand rather than a publicly traded company or a large national chain.
History
Laughing Planet began in 1995, when Richard Satnick opened the first restaurant in Bloomington, Indiana. The original concept was a fast-casual restaurant built around burritos and related meals that combined convenience with a health-oriented image and globally influenced flavors. From its early menu, the brand developed beyond a single signature item to include bowls, soups, salads, and other casual meals. In 2000, Satnick relocated the company's operations to Portland, Oregon. This move was the decisive geographic turning point in the brand's history. Portland became Laughing Planet's operational center and the basis for its identity as a regional Pacific Northwest restaurant chain. The company expanded beyond Portland into Corvallis and Eugene, and later maintained a presence in other Oregon communities and in Reno, Nevada. Rather than pursuing nationwide scale, Laughing Planet developed a cluster of markets in the Pacific Northwest and nearby Nevada. The restaurant's menu and public identity were shaped by its accommodation of varied dietary preferences. In addition to standard burritos, bowls, soups, and salads, Laughing Planet became known for extensive vegetarian and vegan selections. It also offered keto, paleo, and gluten-free choices. This approach allowed the chain to serve groups with different dietary requirements at the same restaurant and supported its reputation as a relatively health-conscious and family-friendly option. Ownership changed in 2012, when Satnick sold Laughing Planet for an undisclosed amount. The chain had ten locations at the time. The transaction marked the end of Satnick's documented ownership period, although the brand continued operating and expanding as a regional chain. In 2015, Laughing Planet announced a workplace benefit providing employees with up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave. That same year, U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez visited the company in August and spoke with employees, bringing national labor-policy attention to the restaurant's workplace practices. Laughing Planet's local reputation was reinforced by repeated recognition in Portland-area reader polls. Willamette Week's Best of Portland awards and rankings included categories such as kid-friendly restaurants, vegetarian restaurants, paleo options, and sustainable eating. The chain was a runner-up for Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant in 2015 and won that category in 2016 and 2017. In 2016 it also placed third in the vegetarian, paleo-options, and sustainable-eating categories. In 2017, The Oregonian's readers ranked Laughing Planet tenth among Portland's best inexpensive restaurants. By late 2018, the chain was reported to have ten restaurants in the Portland metropolitan area, two each in Eugene and Reno, and one each in Bend and Corvallis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Laughing Planet received between $1 million and $2 million in federally backed Paycheck Protection Program financing from Beneficial State Bank. The company stated that the funds would allow it to retain 245 jobs, reflecting the employment pressures faced by restaurants during the pandemic. As of 2025, Laughing Planet operated 14 locations in Oregon, Washington, and Nevada, including seven in Portland. Its history therefore reflects the evolution of a locally rooted restaurant concept into a multi-state regional brand, with its strongest presence remaining in Portland and the broader Pacific Northwest.
- 2025
Fourteen-location regional chain
[1]Laughing Planet was reported to operate 14 locations across Oregon, Washington, and Nevada.
- 2020
Paycheck Protection Program support
[1]The company received between $1 million and $2 million in PPP financing and said it would help retain 245 jobs.
- 2016
Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant recognition
[1]Willamette Week readers selected Laughing Planet as Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant; the chain also placed in several other food and sustainability categories.
- 2015
Paid parental leave introduced
[1]Laughing Planet began offering employees up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
- 2012
Ownership changes
[1]Richard Satnick sold the chain when it had ten locations; the sale price was not disclosed.
- 2000
Operations move to Portland
[1]The company relocated its operations to Portland, Oregon, which became the center of its regional growth.
- 1995
First restaurant opens in Bloomington
[1]Richard Satnick founded Laughing Planet and opened its first restaurant in Bloomington, Indiana.
Products and positioning
A regional fast-casual restaurant brand offering convenient, relatively healthy food with global influences and unusually broad accommodation for vegetarian, vegan, keto, paleo, and gluten-free diets.
Fast-casual entree · 1995
Burritos
Burritos are one of Laughing Planet's core offerings and anchor the chain's globally influenced, customizable fast-casual format. The menu includes options intended for different dietary preferences, including vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free customers where specified by the restaurant.
Fast-casual entree
Bowls
Rice and other bowl-based meals extend the brand's burrito-centered concept into a format that can be adapted to different eating preferences. Bowls form part of the chain's broader menu of convenient meals with global influences and dietary flexibility.
Soups and salads
Soups and salads
Soups and salads complement the chain's heavier entree formats and support its healthy-food positioning. They are part of the standard Laughing Planet menu alongside burritos and bowls.
Special-diet menu
Dietary-specific menu options
Laughing Planet is particularly associated with extensive vegetarian and vegan choices, as well as keto, paleo, and gluten-free options. This broad accommodation is a central part of the brand's differentiation and enables customers with varied dietary preferences to dine together.
Brand decisions
2020
Paycheck Protection Program financingOtherBackground
The COVID-19 pandemic created severe operating and employment pressures for restaurants.
Action taken
Laughing Planet received between $1 million and $2 million in federally backed PPP financing through Beneficial State Bank.
Aftermath
The company said the financing would allow it to retain 245 jobs.
Paycheck Protection Program loan amount. $1 million–$2 million (COVID-19 pandemic period)
2015
Paid parental leave policyStrategyBackground
Laughing Planet adopted a notable employee-benefit policy during its continued operation as a regional restaurant chain.
Action taken
The company began offering employees up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
Aftermath
The policy contributed to public attention around the company's workplace practices, including a visit by U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez in August 2015.
2012
Sale of the restaurant chainM&ABackground
Richard Satnick owned Laughing Planet through its founding and regional expansion; the chain had ten locations when the transaction occurred.
Action taken
Satnick sold Laughing Planet to an undisclosed buyer for an undisclosed amount.
Aftermath
The brand continued operating as a regional restaurant chain under new ownership.
2000
Relocation to PortlandStrategyBackground
After beginning in Bloomington, Indiana, Laughing Planet moved its operations to Portland, Oregon.
Action taken
The company established Portland as its operational base and expanded from there into additional regional markets.
Aftermath
Portland became the brand's principal market and remained home to the largest concentration of its restaurants.
Sources1 sources
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