Plant-based meat alternatives are beefing up menus … without the beef.
Famous Dave’s in July announced it had partnered with Beyond Meat to launch a test of plant-based protein menu items. Famous Dave’s said it has been experimenting with different recipes and ingredients for months.
The BBW Bowl includes barbecue seasoned Beyond Meat combined with lettuce, cilantro lime rice, chili beans, roasted sweet corn, jalapeños, chopped tomatoes and red onions.
The Tropical Burger features a Beyond Burger patty stacked with grilled pineapple, spicy pickles, tomato, onion and lettuce all topped with the chain’s Famous Texas Pit sauce.
The BBQ Street Tacos combine barbecue seasoned Beyond Meat with lettuce, tomatoes, red onions and Fritos corn chips wrapped in three warm corn tortillas.
The Fritos BBQ Nachos dish features a bed of Fritos corn chips topped with seasoned Beyond Meat, barbecue beans, lettuce, chopped tomatoes, red onions, jalapeños and Famous Texas Pit sauce.
The test rolled out in four locations throughout Colorado and one in Minneapolis in July, with the intention of being deployed throughout the restaurant’s network this fall.
KFC is partnering with Beyond Meat to test plant-based chicken, becoming the first major U.S. fast-food chain to introduce a Beyond Chicken item. KFC debuted 6- and 12-piece nuggets as well as 6- and 12-piece boneless wings at an Atlanta restaurant on Aug. 27. The company said it will consider feedback from the test to evaluate a broader test or potential national roll-out.
Burger King restaurants launched the plant-based Impossible Whopper sandwich nationwide in August. The Impossible Whopper features a flame-grilled, plant-based Impossible Burger topped with tomato slices, lettuce, mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles and white onions. Starting Aug. 8, the meat-free burger became available at 7,000 locations across the country for a limited time, the company said.
Hardee’s plans to test a pair of plant-based menu items in select markets in October through a partnership with Beyond Meat. The Original Beyond Thickburger, featuring a charbroiled plant-based patty, and the Beyond Sausage Biscuit, topped with a plant-based breakfast sausage, may eventually roll out to Hardee’s restaurants nationwide.
Subway debuted its new Beyond Meatball Marinara sub in early August. The sandwich is the result of a new culinary innovation partnership with alternative protein maker Beyond Meat to test exclusive plant-based protein options. The Beyond Meatball Marinara sub includes marinara sauce, grated Parmesan cheese and the first-ever Beyond Meatball created just for Subway all served on toasted bread. The 685 participating Subway restaurants in the United States and Canada began offering the sandwich in September as a limited-time offer.
In May, Little Caesars teamed up with Impossible Foods to launch the Impossible Supreme Pizza. Topped with Impossible Sausage made from plants, the pie also includes tomato sauce, mozzarella and Muenster cheeses, caramelized onions, mushrooms, and green peppers.
To develop the Impossible Sausage for Little Caesars’ new pizza, Impossible Foods' scientists developed Impossible Sausage, then the product was custom seasoned for Little Caesars with the savory seasonings, taste and texture characteristics of traditional sausage used as pizza toppings.
In July, Dunkin’ partnered with Beyond Meat to bring a new breakfast option to the table: the Beyond Sausage breakfast sandwich. The Beyond Sausage breakfast sandwich features a plant-based patty made with peas, mung beans, rice, sunflower oil and coconut oil plus a mix of spices crafted specifically for Dunkin’, the chain said. Served on an English muffin with egg and American cheese, the offering provides 10 grams of plant-based protein.
The sandwich is part of the company’s commitment to offer consumers “a wide range of menu choices to fit their individual lifestyle needs,” Dunkin’ said. The new offering is available at participating Dunkin’ restaurants in Manhattan with plans for a future national roll-out.
Beyond Meat’s plant-based Beyond Burger patty stars in a new sandwich launched at Carl’s Jr. restaurants in January. The Beyond Famous Star is a flexitarian take on the Carl’s Jr. brand’s signature Famous Star burger, featuring a charbroiled quarter-pound patty, topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, sliced onions, dill pickles, special sauce and mayonnaise on a seeded bun.
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers & Brews added The Impossible Burger to its menu in April. The meatless, plant-based patty that emulates beef may be swapped in on any Red Robin burger. Additionally, Red Robin began offering The Impossible Cheeseburger as a new menu item. The burger features The Impossible Burger patty topped with Red’s pickle relish, red onions, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, mayo and a choice of cheese.
Blue Apron in July partnered with Beyond Meat to offer plant-based burgers in its meal kits beginning in August. Recipes featuring the meatless Beyond Burger include caramelized onion and cheddar burgers with garlic green beans and jalapeño and goat cheese burgers with corn on the cob.
Del Taco Restaurants, Inc. in July expanded its partnership with Beyond Meat, which began in December 2018, to offer two new burritos featuring the company’s meat-mimicking plant protein crumbles.
The Beyond 8 Layer Burrito contains seasoned Beyond Meat plant-based crumbles layered with slow-cooked beans, guacamole, diced tomatoes, lettuce, grated cheddar cheese, zesty red sauce and sour cream wrapped in a warm flour tortilla.
The Epic Beyond Cali Burrito includes seasoned Beyond Meat plant-based crumbles combined with crinkle-cut fries, sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo salsa in a warm oversized flour tortilla.
Meal kit company HelloFresh has partnered with Beyond Meat to add the plant-based Beyond Burger to its menu. Offered as part of HelloFresh’s premium Craft Burger collection, the first recipe featuring the Beyond Burger is the Goudalicious Beyond Burger. The burger is topped with a caramelized onion jam, creamy mustard aioli and melted gouda and is paired with potato wedges. The new offering will begin shipping nationwide the week of Sept. 14.
Aramark Corp. has joined forces with Beyond Meat, Inc. to build out its plant-based menu selections with the company’s meatless burgers, sausages, crumbles and more. Aramark’s present and future dishes featuring Beyond Meat products include bowls, plates, burgers, sausage and brats.
In the bowl category, Aramark is developing a gumbo bowl for hospital patient menus using Beyond Sausage. The gumbo bowl will be part of its patient bowl pilot program.
The Twisted Beet, Aramark’s new plant-forward comfort food dining concept, serves a range of plant-based plates. The concept’s Creole Beyond Sausage Plate, a New Orleans-inspired dish, features “dirty grains” and greens topped with Beyond Sausage.
Aramark continues to develop Beyond Burger concepts for sports stadiums, including a Caribbean-inspired burger topped with black beans, avocado, pineapple and sriracha. The burger will be served at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
Also aimed at sports fans, Aramark has created a range of sausages and brats featuring Beyond Meat to be served at baseball stadiums. At Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium, Aramark offers a Beyond Sausage topped with fried shallots, and a Beyond Sausage Brat Original is available at a dedicated vegan stand at Citi Field in Queens, N.Y.
Food service and facility management company Sodexo Inc. in August put the Impossible Burger in more than 1,500 retail locations across the United States. Sodexo partnered with Impossible Foods to create the new menu that launched Aug. 19, featuring three burger combinations: the Steakhouse Burger, Tandoori Burger and Creole Burger.
In August, Taco Del Mar added The Beyond Meat Taco to the menu of 10 locations in Seattle and Vancouver, Wash. The Beyond Meat Taco features the plant-based Beyond Beef Feisty Crumbles mixed with medium chipotle salsa, diced onions and minced serrano peppers, topped with shredded cheddar and Monterey jack cheese, shredded lettuce, pico de gallo and jalapeños served on corn tortillas. The plant-based protein is also available in burritos, enchiladas, taco salad or quesadilla.
Tim Hortons restaurants in Canada began serving Beyond Meat Breakfast Sandwiches featuring plant-based sausage patties in June. Options include the Beyond Sausage Egg & Cheese; Beyond Sausage Farmer’s Wrap and Beyond Sausage Lettuce Tomato.
In July, Tim Hortons added the Beyond Burger to its menu. The Traditional Beyond Burger is topped with cheese, tomato, mayo and lettuce, and The BBQ Beyond Burger added barbecue sauce to the mix.
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