What’s missing from the biggest menus?
Top restaurant chains have majorly upped their plant-based burger game. With White Castle, Carl’s Junior, and TGI Fridays rolling out Beyond Burgers and Impossible Burgers, consumers have more delicious, planet-friendly options at the biggest chain restaurants than ever before.
However, according to NPD data from 2018, plant-based beef makes up 44% of the plant-based protein market in foodservice right now.
GFI foodservice analyst Zak Weston points out, “None of the top chain restaurants has featured a breakout plant-based seafood, pork, or egg dish. Judging by the incredible buzz we saw with plant-based burger launches in 2018, restaurant chains that expand into other plant-based proteins stand to become media darlings and consumer favorites.”
“We’re seeing continued high interest in plant-based foods from flexitarian consumers,” says Zak. “People are motivated by health, or sustainability, or the desire for something new and exciting.”
Per GFI’s restaurant scorecard analysis of the biggest 100 restaurant chains’ plant-based offerings, these brands have a lot of exciting white space to explore.
“Consumers are clamoring for flavorful plant-based foods,” Zak observes, “but a lot of restaurants are missing out by not offering any plant-based dishes at all or only offering plant-based dishes designed to appeal exclusively to vegetarians. We see a lot more upside for restaurants to go after flexitarian consumers.”
Many smaller restaurant brands already feature mouth-watering plant-based dishes that appeal to flexitarians. Here’s a little inspiration for how the biggest chains could expand their plant-based offerings for the booming veg-curious market.
Pizza
Mellow Mushroom keeps it chill with plant-based pizzas featuring Follow Your Heart’s non-dairy cheese. Blaze Pizza has plant-based on lock with a Daiya option. Most recently, California-based Pieology launched three new plant-based pizza toppings: “Spicy Italian Sausage Rounds,” “Beef Meatball,” and “Diced Chicken.”
Chicken
We have to hand it to Yardhouse (one of the top 100 chain restaurants) for their extensive plant-based chicken offerings, starring Gardein. No other top 100 restaurant offers plant-based chicken. This is a major opportunity. Case in point: Veggie Grill’s best-selling Santa Fe Crispy Chickin’ Sandwich has us drooling.
And Curry Up Now’s burrito featuring Hungry Planet’s plant-based chicken is—true to form—making us hungry.
Seafood
Subs & sandwiches
Breakfast sandwiches
Salad
Barbecue
And now for the BBQ finale. The soul of all barbecue is its sauce. Use jackfruit, seitan, tempeh, or whatever the plant-based vehicle of choice. The sky’s the limit. Native Food’s plant-based BBQ Brisket Burger is a double-decker moment, with two BBQ proteins: a burger patty topped with brisket-style seitan. It’s the literal height of decadence.
Wow. Are we all hungry and inspired? Yes. Good. These are not niche dishes for vegans and vegetarians. These are dishes for anyone who wants delicious food.
GFI has the tools and expertise to help restaurants capitalize on this consumer interest. Explore our entree database and product database to get a sense of what’s possible. GFI is ready to help to develop the next big plant-based dish.
Banner image courtesy of Veggie Grill
Author
Mary Allen
Mary Allen is a science writer, creative strategist, and GFI alum focused on the intersection of sustainability and emerging technology. Find more of her work at mary-allen.com.
