FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Planet Vegan has experienced its share of highs and lows, but after a year at Park Place Plaza in north Fresno, owner Michael McElroy says he’s grateful for the highs and hopeful for more in 2025. McElroy first set out to change his lifestyle with a vegan diet to avoid health issues he noticed in himself and his family. "I come from a family with a lot of health issues," McElroy said. "High blood pressure, whatever it might be. My dad, personally I had a bad heart for, x amount of years - my uncle, he got prostate cancer." After seeing the health results of a vegan diet without sacrificing the savory flavors he and his family enjoyed, McElroy decided to share his food with others to promote vegan options. "I think the number one question that we get when people walk in is, is everything vegan? I think that they don't realize that in the kitchen, we're vegan as well," McElroy said. "For us to be able to share our vegan food that we like and our favorites and everything, I think is really great for the community." But McElroy says Planet Vegan's road to success wasn't without its hurdles. In the summer of 2022, McElroy's food truck burst into flames when a propane tank inside the truck exploded. But McElroy left that memory in his rearview mirror and set his sights on opening Planet Vegan's storefront 18 months later. Now, a year since his grand opening at the Park Place Plaza, McElroy says the journey has been humbling but worthwhile. "A lot of ups, a lot of downs, a lot of, trials and tribulations," McElroy said. "[But] we've been able to establish ourselves in North Fresno, a different area compared to where we were when we first opened in the business." McElroy says he's learned to deal with the overhead that comes with a brick-and-mortar along with other valuable lessons. He says he plans to build on top of everything he's learned and continue to innovate at Planet Vegan. "We plan on having a great year in 2025," McElroy said. "We've got another truck that's getting ready to open up, probably around the end of this month, January." For Planet Vegan's first anniversary, McElroy also introduced a new menu item, meatless tacos. "A lady and her husband, I believe, came yesterday from Hanford, and they said they drove just Fresno just to try us out," McElroy said. "[Our] grand opening was amazing. I don't want to assume it'll be like that, but I'm pretty sure we'll have a great crowd today and people will come to support us." McElroy says he's more motivated than ever to keep sharing his food with the community and continue innovating for the community that continuously shows his business support.