A popular vegetarian restaurant chain is warning it could close amid financial uncertainty, as an expert points to shifting demand for meat and dairy.

Clover Food Lab, a Boston-area vegetarian fast-casual chain, recently filed a warning that it may close and lay off 182 workers if it’s unable to find a new buyer, according to local outlet WBZ-TV.

“Clover is expected to close on May 29, 2026, unless we secure a buyer for the company by that date,” the company’s filing said.

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Clover Food Lab told Fox News Digital it filed a WARN notice to comply with Massachusetts law in case a sale is not completed.

“We simply want to comply with all regulations in the case of a change of operations,” the company said in a statement.

“We are optimistic that Clover will continue to serve our locally sourced farm-to-table fast food in Clover’s next chapter.”

The chain began as a food truck at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2008. Eventually, it expanded to multiple locations across Massachusetts serving locally sourced, plant-based food.

The chain filed for bankruptcy in 2023, citing COVID-related financial troubles, before coming back in 2024 with an ambitious plan to expand across the region.

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The developments come as consumers appear to be moving away from the plant-based trends of the 2010s and focusing on high-protein foods, especially meat and dairy.

That shift is reflected in the broader marketplace, where demand for protein-rich foods and beverages continues to grow.

Market research firm IMARC Group recently found that the global dairy-based protein market was valued at about $15 billion in 2024 and projected to reach $22 billion by 2033.

The Trump administration’s 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans also eased earlier restrictions on red meat and full-fat dairy, allowing them as part of a balanced diet in moderation.

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Meat and dairy are regaining ground with consumers, said Adam Yee, a North Carolina-based food scientist and consultant who studies food trends and develops products.

Yee told Fox News Digital that U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) statistics show per capita meat consumption on the rise, and he cited “a lot of factors” behind the shift.

“One is that meat and dairy are perceived as cleaner products with more protein,” Yee noted.

Scrutiny over ultra-processed foods is another major factor, he said, as plant-based meat tends to be made with a long list of ingredients.

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Generally, consumers “would rather choose meat and dairy than the alternatives,” Yee added, citing both cost and the fact that meat is more satisfying.

“Meat and dairy just have an easier time communicating [their] value and delivering in taste than plant-based products,” he said.

He added, “Clover Food Lab is suffering from a general decline in restaurant sales, but the factors that are increasing meat and dairy sales, and decreasing plant-based sales, are definitely crushing them.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Plant Based Foods Association for comment, but did not immediately receive a reply.

The mother of 7-year-old Athena Strand took the stand Wednesday in the second week of the emotional trial of a former FedEx driver who admitted kidnapping and murdering the young girl. 

Tanner Horner, 34, pleaded guilty to capital murder just moments before his Texas trial was set to begin, with jurors now weighing whether he should be sentenced to death or life in prison without the possibility of parole. 

On Wednesday, jurors heard from Athena’s mother, Maitlyn Gandy, as she testified about her final moments with her daughter, according to FOX 4. 

“Do you remember the last thing you said to Athena?” a prosecutor asked her, the outlet reported.

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“I told her that I loved her and that I would see her on Friday,” Gandy replied. “We had a quick drop-off because her daddy was going to take them to the Christmas lights.” 

Wearing pink, Athena’s favorite color, Gandy recalled how she immediately drove back to Texas from her home in Oklahoma upon learning about her daughter’s disappearance. 

“It felt like I was dying,” Gandy said, according to FOX 4. “I couldn’t breathe, but I knew I had to keep going. I almost tapped on the brakes because I thought I was having a heart attack. But I just told myself that if I kept going, it would be OK, and I would find her.” 

She then went on to describe how she delivered the news of Athena’s death to her 3-year-old sister.

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“I didn’t know how to tell her, and I didn’t think I was strong enough to tell her. So I lied to her for a long time. I would tell her that she was just staying with her daddy for a little bit longer. And when she asked to FaceTime or to call her, I would tell her that she was at school or she was sleeping,” Gandy said. “Until about a year ago, she didn’t know the whole truth.”

Upon being asked if she had watched the video of Horner strangling Athena to death, Gandy said she was only able to watch a few minutes of it and apologized to the jurors who were required to see the footage.

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“Not anyone in this room besides Tanner Horner asked for what’s on that video, and Athena definitely did not,” Gandy said. 

Defense attorney Steven Goble did not cross examine Gandy, instead offering his condolences as the grieving mother took the stand.

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“I am very sorry for your loss,” Goble said, FOX 4 reported. 

Horner admitted to abducting Athena while delivering a package containing a Barbie doll to her father’s home in Paradise in 2022. Her body was found on Dec. 2, two days after she was reported missing.

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Horner initially told investigators that he strangled the young girl after accidentally striking her with his delivery vehicle, adding that she wasn’t seriously injured when he panicked and placed her in his van. 

On Monday, medical examiner Dr. Jessica Dwyer testified that Athena’s cause of death was blunt force injuries, smothering and strangulation, adding the young girl likely suffered before she died.

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Following the murder, Horner wrote a letter to Athena’s heartbroken family, writing: “To Athena’s family. I wanted to start by saying how sorry I am about Athena. The entire time I’ve known my legal counsel, they continued to tell me how. I don’t need to apologize, didn’t apologize, and the trial? And frankly, I can’t hold it in any longer. I can’t tell you how many countless nights I’ve stayed awake, unable to sleep. I pray for you. For all of you. So many were affected by my breakdown. Not just your family, but my own as well. You’ll never get to see your baby girl grow up. And I’m sorry.” 

Before leaving the stand, Gandy addressed questions from the prosecution regarding why she has been in the courtroom for every day of Horner’s trial.

“There were handprint bruises around my daughter’s neck, and because she no longer has a voice,” Gandy said. “And I want people to know that she’s not just some story, she’s not just some number.”

“She’s not just some picture you see in a headline,” Gandy added. “She was loved. She is loved. And she is missed. And she was real. And she had a life, and she wanted to live. And no one can take that from her. Not a single person can take that from her. And I will be her face, and it will be her voice. And I will make sure that every person in this world knows that she was. And we want her in our lives.” 

Less than a week before Virginians head to the polls to decide the fate of the state’s congressional map, a representative from a district at the center of the controversy pushes back. 

In an interview with the Ruthless Podcast released on Thursday morning, Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., rebuffed the efforts by Virginia Democrats to change the layout of the congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. 

“Their goal is the long game,” Cline said of the Democrat-backed redistricting attempt. “It is the short game of the next election, but it’s also the long game of trying to turn rural Virginia into either a non-impact on politics or convert. You either assimilate or you’re destroyed.”

Under the proposed map, Cline’s district in the western part of the state would be divided into five new seats. Josh Holmes, a co-host of the podcast, explained that this would dilute the impact of rural voters.

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“They are attempting to split into five different districts to minimize a rural vote that they can overcome with Northern Virginia suburban NGO defense contractors,” Holmes said during the interview. 

Virginia Democrats are following a national trend. Cline noted how this redistricting playbook has been used by Democrats across the country. 

“They definitely want to turn us into New England,” the congressman first elected in 2018 said. “Massachusetts used to have Republican members of Congress, a much more balanced delegation. Now it’s 9-0. But Republicans vote, what, 40 percent of the population there. They do it in Illinois. Most of the states where they control, they’re trying to just draw Republicans completely out.”

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Cline’s comments come as the polling on the referendum is tightening.  A recent poll from the Washington Post showed support for redrawing the state’s maps, leading by only 5 points. The projections show a closer race than last year’s gubernatorial election, where Democrat Abigail Spanberger defeated Republican Winsome Sears by more than 15 points.

Voters will get their chance to weigh in on the redistricting fight on Tuesday. Virginians will decide whether to approve a constitutional amendment enabling the General Assembly to redraw the state’s congressional map. 

Democrats claim that creating new maps would restore fairness to apportionment. Republicans argue that this is a gerrymander by turning the delegation from a six-five Democrat-majority to a 10-one Democrat-majority in a state where Kamala Harris only beat Donald Trump by six points. 

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Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., who currently represents the Southwest part of the state, would likely become the only Republican remaining in Virginia’s delegation. 

Cline appeared on Ruthless as a part of the Ruthless Midterm Interview Series, an ongoing initiative to interview major GOP candidates. The hosts have already interviewed candidates in 12 states, with more scheduled as primaries across the country take place ahead of the November midterms. 

After Tuesday’s election on the map, Virginians will return to the polls on August 4th for the Republican and Democratic congressional primary elections. The general elections will take place on November 3rd.