The future green giant ?

By Chloé Labiche for ZEPROS / July, 1st 2024

Just one year after opening its first restaurant, Maslow Group is back with a second in Paris. Named Fellows and dedicated to fresh pasta, it has been designed, like its predecessor, to be extremely vegetarian and eco-responsible. Other openings are already in the pipeline for this group, which aims to combine ethics and fun.

The new Maslow Group restaurant, which opened in June on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis in Paris, is an eye-catcher with its petrol-green façade. The same dynamism in terms of communication on social networks and in the kitchen. So much so, in fact, that the 180 m2, 50-cover venue, named Fellows, sold out at lunchtime in the first few days of its launch.
Modelled on Maslow, the group’s first address opened a year ago on Quai de la Mégisserie, Fellows is vegetarian and eco-responsible from floor to ceiling, including the menu. A commitment as strong as it is painless for customers. “All the restaurants we open will use these same methods (see box). But we’re not in a militant posture, we don’t flaunt this eco-responsibility. We’re just asking ourselves what would carry these missions well without being too heavy,” explains Julia Chican Vernin, co-founder of the Maslow Group with Marine Ricklin and executive chef Mehdi Favri.

2 to 3 openings a year

For Fellows, pasta is the star of the show, made daily on the premises with French agro-ecological flour. Not particularly Italian, the menu adapts them freely to its own sauce: harissa, cacio e zaatar or butter with smoked cheese emulsion, for example. Tomme du Béarn or chicken egg poutargue replace parmesan or mullet eggs. All for an average bill of €25. On the drinks front, cocktails are made at Maslow, packaged in kegs, delivered by cargo bike and tapped at Fellows. All soft drinks, except Coca-Cola, are homemade, as are lemonade and iced tea, stored in reusable jerry cans.

“This second opening was easier. We duplicated the methods and solutions already in place at Maslow,” explains Julia Chican Vernin. Fellows required an investment of €500,000, and if successful, could become a major player in the future. The group, which has just raised a further €2 million, has ambitious plans for its own development. A second Maslow is due to open in Paris by the end of the year. With sales of almost 4 M€ and a steady flow of customers, the model has proved its solidity.

In addition to Fellows and Maslow, other vegetarian and eco-responsible brands may also be launched. Maslow Group is aiming for 2 to 3 openings a year. “It’s a big challenge. Our development will of course depend on finding the right locations and our ability to handle the openings,” moderates Julia Chican Vernin.

Maslow Group commitments
-100% vegetarian menu, no meat or fish.
-Prioritý to local x direct x organic.
-100% seasonal produce.
-99% raw, unprocessed ingredients.
-0% fake meat.
-Objective: no waste.
-Natural, organic or biodynamic wines.
-Compost on site

– No air-conditioning.
-Priority to regenerative agriculture, agroecology practices and soil protection.
4-day week for the majoritý of positions.
-Minimal downtime whenever possible.
Teams are trained year-round in ecological practices and sustainable food.