Today we’d like to introduce you to Suzanne Simon.
Hi Suzanne, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Chaia started with a pretty simple idea: vegetables could be the main event. Back in 2017, when farmers markets were having a real moment and growing in popularity in our region, we were spending time at the White House Farmers Market surrounded by incredible produce. It felt obvious, why weren’t vegetables being treated with the same excitement and care as everything else? So we started small. Just a stand at the farmers market, making tacos built entirely around seasonal vegetables. We hand-pressed corn tortillas, created house-made salsas, and cooked whatever looked best that week from local farms. It wasn’t about being vegetarian for the sake of it; it was about flavor and making vegetables delicious. What we did not expect was how quickly people got it. Lines formed. Regulars came back week after week. And the question kept coming: where can we find you when the market is not open? That’s what led to our first brick-and-mortar in Georgetown. The goal was to keep that same farmers market energy – seasonal, local and accessible. Over time, Chaia became something more: a place where vegetables feel indulgent, where fast casual feels thoughtful, and where eating well does not feel like a compromise. Ten years in, the core idea hasn’t changed. Start with great seasonal vegetables. Treat them with care and build something people crave.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No it has not been a smooth road. In the early days, the challenge was convincing people that a taco without meat could still feel satisfying. We were asking people to rethink what a “main dish” looked like, and that took time. There were plenty of moments where we wondered if we were pushing too far against what people expected from fast casual.
As we grew, the struggles shifted. Running restaurants is operationally intense, staffing, food costs, consistency, systems. You can have a great idea, but executing it every single day, across multiple locations, is where things get hard. And in D.C. specifically, foot traffic patterns have changed a lot over the years, especially post-COVID, which has made revenue less predictable. There is also the tension of staying true to the brand while evolving the business. Do you introduce new menu items to drive sales? Do you expand beyond vegetables? How do you grow without losing what made people love you in the first place? Those are not theoretical questions, we wrestle with them in real time. And then there is the less visible side: managing partnerships, communicating with investors, navigating cash flow and making decisions when there is not a clear “right” answer. That part can be just as challenging as anything happening in the kitchen. But all of those struggles have forced us to get sharp about who we are, what we stand for, and where we are going.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m the co-founder of Chaia Tacos, a vegetable-forward fast casual concept based in Washington, D.C. What we do is simple, but intentional: we build tacos around seasonal vegetables and treat them with the same care, technique, and respect typically reserved for meat. Chaia started at a farmers market, and that DNA still defines us. We work with what’s in season, we make our food from scratch and we design our menu around what actually tastes best right now. We’re not trying to replicate traditional tacos or mimic meat. We’re creating something different: a place where vegetables are the main event and feel indulgent, satisfying, and craveable.
What sets us apart is that we sit in a space that doesn’t really have a clear category. We’re not a traditional fast casual chain, and we’re not a niche “vegetarian concept” either. We’re building a brand where eating well and eating something delicious are the same thing. That’s been our focus from day one, and it continues to guide how we grow. As a founder, I’ve spent the last decade not just building a restaurant, but building a point of view about food, about health, and about how people want to eat today. That has meant staying close to the product while also navigating the realities of running and scaling a business: operations, partnerships, financial discipline, and long-term strategy.
Brand-wise, what I am most proud of is that Chaia has remained consistent. Ten years in, people still come to us for the same reason they did at the farmers market: food that feels fresh, thoughtful, and genuinely good. There is a level of trust there that we have worked hard to earn.
What I want people to know is that we’re building something bigger than a taco shop. We are proving that vegetables can lead, not as a compromise, but as a choice people are excited about. And we are doing it in a way that is scalable, operationally sound, and relevant to where food is going.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Start simple and stay close to what actually works. Expect it to be harder and take longer than you think. There will be moments where it feels unclear or uncomfortable. The key is staying close to your core idea while being flexible enough to evolve when the business demands it.
Pricing:
- Taco Trio $13.50
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.chaiatacos.com
- Instagram: @chaiatacos
- Facebook: @chaiatacos
