At Laughing Planet, tasty burritos made from local ingredients

Portland-based Laughing Planet, which has two locations in Eugene, has built a reputation around burritos packed with locally sourced ingredients that customers can grab and go. The company also became known for rice bowls with global flavors.

As the company marks its 25th anniversary this year, CEO Franz Spielvogel said in an interview with Lookout Eugene-Springfield that its commitment to quality hasn’t wavered despite mounting industry pressures.

“In 25 years we have not cut corners,” Spielvogel said.

‘Portable nutrition’

Laughing Planet founder Richard Satnick developed an obsession with proper burrito construction. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, he grew frustrated with poorly wrapped, difficult-to-eat burritos. This was also a time when restaurants were calling burritos “wraps” as a marketing strategy to make them seem healthier and fancier.

Satnick and Spielvogel, a longtime friend and business partner of Satnick, dubbed their burritos “portable nutrition devices.” Satnick wanted to serve a burrito that was prepared as quickly as fast food and offered nutrition and quality ingredients, and could fit in the water bottle holder of a bicycle for on-the-go convenience.

“You can put in a burrito what you can’t put on a sandwich,” Spielvogel said. The burrito is named after the burro, or donkey, a pack animal. Their concept was based on packing nutrition into the burrito.

They opened their first location of Laughing Planet in Bloomington, Indiana, in 2000, and went on to expand to other locations, including Reno, Nevada. All 11 Laughing Planets are now in Oregon. In 2012 Spielvogel bought out Satnick and business partner Steve Mertz (who went on to found Tacovore and The Wheel Apizza Pub).

Commitment to local sourcing

Laughing Planet works with Junction City’s Knee Deep Cattle Company for 100% pasture-raised beef, Salem’s Don Froylan Creamery for queso fresco, and Eugene’s Surata Soyfoods for tofu and tempeh.

Tortillas come from Don Pancho in Salem, while beans are Food Alliance-certified Smart beans grown using no-till methods in Washington. Even the salt comes from Jacobsen Salt Co. in Oregon’s Netarts Bay.

Organic and local ingredients have always been an important part of the company’s ethos.

“Number one, you can taste the freshness,” Spielvogel said. “Number two, those suppliers are also our customers. But number three, it’s the economy. It’s the multiplier effect, the beauty of being able to sustain other local businesses. Otherwise, you know, we’re all … going to be buying from the same big box.”

Navigating industry upheaval

The restaurant landscape has changed dramatically since Laughing Planet’s early days. Spielvogel noted that customer palates have become more sophisticated. Smart phones and global interconnectedness have led to consumers who demand more authentic flavors.

He also said people want premium ingredients and diverse preparations, while simultaneously not being willing (or able) to pay much for it. Laughing Planet’s prices range from $10 for a grilled chicken quesadilla and $8.50 to $11 for burritos, to $14.75 to $15.50 for bowls.

One item recently added to the menu is the Comfort Bowl, which includes brown rice, black beans, avocado, sour cream, cheddar, pico de gallo, black olives and cilantro with NY Sauce served on the side. Other global flavors include the Bollywood Bowl, with chicken, curry-roasted chickpeas and spicy coconut sauce, and the Thai Bowl with tofu, garlic green beans, and steamed broccoli on rice with cilantro lime slaw and Thai Lemongrass Peanut sauce. Burritos can be made with beans and rice, tempeh, chicken or pasture-raised beef.

The restaurant industry’s economics have shifted dramatically over the 25 years Laughing Planet has been in business. Rising costs across all business-related expenses have compressed the profit margin significantly. Spielvogel points to the long-time model of “30-30-30-10” representing 30% each for operations, labor and food costs, leaving 10% profit. 

“That doesn’t happen anymore,” he said.

The most significant shift has been the permanent move toward takeout ordering, which surged during COVID-19 and never reverted. About 60% of the company’s orders are now takeout. This has created higher operational costs, including packaging, credit card fees and delivery commissions. And some menu items just don’t travel well, so food quality can suffer.

Also, large restaurant spaces designed for dining sit largely empty, making the real estate investment inefficient. 

Strategic response

These changes have prompted new strategies. A happy hour launching Oct. 1 will offer eight top-selling menu items for $8, from 3-5 p.m., Monday through Friday, only for dine-in customers. The deal also includes $5 beer, wine and real-fruit smoothies.

“These are some of our top selling menu items, full-size, not smaller portions,” Spielvogel said.

Plus, Spielvogel said, dining in encourages people to visit a restaurant and eat with others.

“Takeout dining means people aren’t taking the time, taking a breather, going into a restaurant and sitting down and engaging,” he said.

Looking ahead, the company is developing a mobile Laughing Planet kitchen that can allow the company to participate in events and reach customers in new locations without the overhead of a brick-and-mortar expansion. Spielvogel said they should be able to start driving their mobile truck around in spring 2026.   

Anniversary and future plans

Satnick and Spielvogel are both huge fans of musician Frank Zappa, and had Zappa-themed artwork created for each location, including velvet paintings by artist Jennifer Kenworth. To celebrate the anniversary, Spielvogel has brought all of the company’s Zappa artwork to the Eugene location along with a few pieces representing the comic art of Robert Crumb.

Want to go?

Laughing Planet
760 Blair Blvd.
541-868-0668

2864 Willamette St.
541-505-5399

Hours (both locations):
10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday and Monday