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Meatless 'Beyond Burgers' come to Carl's Jr. restaurants
The competition in lab-made veggie burgers is heating up. Beyond Meat has brought its burgers to more than 1,000 Carl's Jr. locations in the US, marking its Beyond's largest restaurant deal to date. Order a $6.29 Beyond Famous Star and you can eat a vegetarian (sorry vegans, there's American cheese) burg that tastes much like its conventional beef counterparts. You can also pay $2 to add a Beyond patty to other burgers on the menu. [...] You can already eat Impossible burgers of various sizes at White Castle, Hopdoddy, [and] Umami Burger
The veggie burgers won't be available at Hardee's (a nearly identical fast food chain operated by the same parent company). Sorry, "flexitarians".
Big Beef Prepares For Battle, As Interest Grows In Plant-Based And Lab-Grown Meats
The U.S. meat industry is gigantic, with roughly $200 billion a year in sales, and getting larger. But the industry faces emerging threats on two fronts: plant-based meat substitutes and actual meat grown in labs. Plant-based meat substitutes are a lot more, well, meaty than they used to be. They sear on the grill and even "bleed." They look, taste and feel in the mouth a lot like meat. Savannah Blevin, a server at Charlie Hooper's, an old-school bar and grill in Kansas City, Mo., says the vegetarian Impossible Burgers on the menu are popular with the meat-eating crowd. "I had a vegetarian actually turn it away, because it reminded them so much of meat, they sent it back," says Blevins. "It's delicious," she adds.
The industry that makes these products is taking off, growing 20 percent a year. "Business is booming," says Todd Boyman, co-founder of food company Hungry Planet. "We just can't keep up. We're actually having to expand our production facilities to keep up with the demand that's out there for this type of food."
[...] The meat industry is focused on shaping the regulatory environment for its new competitors, taking into account lessons learned from the rise of plant-based milks.
Previously: Would You Try Silicon Valley's Bloody Plant Burger(s)?
Impossible Foods Just Raised $75 Million for Its Plant-based Burgers
Inside the Strange Science of the Fake Meat that 'Bleeds'
FDA Approves Impossible Burger "Heme" Ingredient; Still Wants to Regulate "Cultured Meat"
Related: U.S. Cattlemen's Association Wants an Official Definition of "Meat"
Missouri Regulates Use of the Word "Meat" by Food Producers
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Arik on Friday January 04 2019, @03:23PM (2 children)
But the gem of the Hardees menu were always the steak biscuits. And for whatever reason, Carl's brought over 'Hardees biscuits' but not those. Pretty stupid of them, and pretty lame.
And now? A veggie burger, but only at Carl's, not at Hardees. Another facepalm. Yes, I'm sure the demand is higher for this in the west than the east, but that's not the point. There IS a market in the east, and even if it's a smaller portion of the regional market it's also underserved. Put it on the menu back east too, and you'll attract customers that otherwise wouldn't come in the door, and on top of that the regulars will slowly start giving it a try and some will like it.
Assuming it isn't completely awful, at least, and if it is it won't do too well in the west either.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday January 04 2019, @03:42PM (1 child)
Carl's was founded in California and has a lot of restaurants there. Beyond Meat was also founded in California.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Arik on Friday January 04 2019, @03:47PM
Carl's still covers a lot of western area where steak biscuits would sell very well, if they offered them.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?