Happy Döner in Mainz

Sascha – Founder

"Many temporary staff also work here and handle the register, so the recipes are never followed properly. If we made the cocktails ourselves here, it just wouldn’t work."

Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdowns, Sascha felt compelled to change things at his shop in Mainz. They initially switched to burgers, which were well received but did not match Sascha’s dream. His passion for plant-based food ultimately led to the latest concept after much consideration: “Happy Döner.”

Not only are these döner kebabs completely vegan, with the meat substitute made from 100% natural ingredients, but innovative ingredients are also added to the bread (which, of course, comes from a local bakery). Wild herb salads, a mint-coriander-parsley blend, smoked cauliflower, or braised pumpkin—the possibilities are endless. So it is hardly surprising that the “Happy Döner” concept is intended to grow as a franchise.

How well do vegan kebabs and Cocktails go together? Very well, Sascha tells us! Sascha is particularly impressed by the savings in ingredients and space, as well as the simple handling for untrained staff, when it comes to kukki Cocktail, as he explains to us:

“As you can see, this is the kitchen area. If we had to make Cocktails ourselves here as well, we would need to have mint, all the spirits, the juices—that simply wouldn’t be possible here, even just in terms of space, and neither in terms of hygiene or freshness.”

Sascha hands Andy his freshly prepared “Happy Kebab”. His initial skepticism disappears after the first bite. Really delicious! Add a sip of ice-cold kukki Cocktail, and nothing stands in the way of a wonderful day in Mainz.