Gastronomy & Food Service

Phil Thornborrow, QuornPro Director of Global Foodservice © QuornPro

New QuornPro Division to Provide Complete Menu Solutions for Food Service

QuornPro, the food service business unit for meat alternatives brand Quorn, has announced the launch of a new division. Called QuornPro Distribution Partners, the division will provide complete menu solutions for food service partners using a network of companies, creating opportunities for various emerging brands. The first collaboration is with free from meal solutions company Good it’s Gluten Free, which will make its products available for food service for the first time through QuornPro Distribution Partners. The divison’s first launch will be an allergen-free margherita pizza for schools, which has been co-developed by Good it’s Gluten Free and QuornPro’s culinary team. The product aims to cater to the 20% of children who are affected by food allergies, and features a crispy gluten-free base with sauce …

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Image courtesy of ProVeg

Netherlands: Supermarket Meat-Free Promotions Stagnate While Alt Meat Sales to Caterers Double

According to animal rights organisation Wakker Dier, the number of meat-free promotions available at Dutch supermarkets has barely increased for the third year in a row, remaining about the same on average. Additionally, there have been few reductions in meat promotions, with three available for every meat alternative offer. The organisation noted that there were discrepancies between retailers, with Aldi and Hoogvliet having reduced their meat-free promotions by 38% and 34% respectively. On the other hand, Jumbo has increased its vegetarian offers by 41%, and Spar saw the second-highest increase at 31%. Aldi runs 11 meat promotions for every meat-free offer, making it the worst-scoring supermarket in this area. Jumbo and Albert Heijn are tied in first place, with two meat promotions for every vegetarian …

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Veggie Grill by Next Level

@ Veggie Grill by Next Level

Next Level Burger Acquisition Inspires Veggie Grill’s Menu Revamp

Fast-casual chain Veggie Grill by Next Level, now operating under the ownership of Next Level Burger (NLB), is launching a new menu on August 14, marking the most significant update since its acquisition in January 2024.  The updated menu features five new burgers, two chik’n sandwiches, and a salad, all of which are existing favorites from NLB. This initiative is part of a larger strategy to standardize offerings across both brands, with a strong emphasis on health-conscious choices and organic produce—a shift Veggie Grill adopted following its acquisition. The new menu features a range of plant-based burgers, including the Signature Veggie Burger with a quinoa and mushroom patty, the SoCal Veggie Burger with tempeh bacon and special sauce, and the American ChzBurger, a classic option …

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Impossible Foods Impossible Quality Meats

© Impossible Foods

Impossible Foods Debuts First In-Person Foodservice Concept at XMarket in Chicago

Impossible Foods has announced the launch of its first foodservice industry concept, Impossible Quality Meats. The pop-up restaurant, located in the XMarket Food Hall in Uptown Chicago, will officially open on Tuesday, August 13, offering a range of plant-based dishes made from Impossible’s meat alternatives.  The Impossible Quality Meats menu will feature options like the Impossible Breakfast Sausage Sandwich, Impossible Asian Style Meatballs, and the Impossible Chicago Style Hot Dog, among others. For dessert, the pop-up will offer Oatly Soft Serve in flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, and a swirl of both. Peter McGuinness, president and CEO of Impossible Foods, explained the company’s motivation behind this new venture: “Impossible began as a foodservice brand, launching our flagship beef product in 2016 with some of the best …

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Plantega opens flagship kitchen for corporate catering

© Plantega

New York’s Plantega Launches Flagship Kitchen for Corporate Catering and Events

Plantega, the New York brand offering turnkey plant-based deli-in-store solutions, has announced the launch of its first fully self-managed flagship kitchen. Called Plantega Kitchen & Catering (PKC), the kitchen will provide food for large group orders, corporate catering, and events across New York City. It has been launched in recognition of the fact that many meals in the city are consumed within offices, event venues, and other private institutions. Described as “highly tech-enabled”, PKC is optimized for both city-wide catering clients and local direct-to-consumer delivery. The launch follows a boom in workplace catering as workers increasingly return to the office. Plantega says PKC will allow organizations to serve options that are better for people and the planet, helping them reduce their food-related emissions. Additionally, the …

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Oshi X Neat Burger

© Oshi

Oshi Expands US Presence with Neat Partnership and California Production

Oshi has announced a partnership with Neat, a vegan burger chain supported by celebrities Lewis Hamilton and Leonardo DiCaprio. The collaboration will bring Oshi’s salmon to Neat’s recently reformulated New York City menu, where it will be featured in vegan fish tacos, rice bowls, and Caesar salads with avocado. Oshi, which rebranded from Plantish last year, is known for its flagship product, a plant-based salmon fillet composed of mycoprotein, algae, and vegetable oils, which replicate the layered flakes and fat found in traditional salmon. Oshi announced the rollout onto Neat menus on social media, stating, “It’s fantastic to see our products featured in more and more NYC restaurants, making sustainable dining options accessible to all. We can’t wait for you to try our salmon and …

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Wagamama launches new brunch menu with vegan options

© Wagamama

Wagamama Launches First Ever Brunch Menu With Wide Range of Vegan Options

Asian-inspired UK restaurant chain Wagamama has launched its first ever brunch menu, featuring a range of new vegan dishes. Customers can choose from two varieties of breakfast bao buns — vegan sausage & mushroom or vegan bacon & mushroom. There is also a big vegan breakfast featuring plant-based bacon and sausages, grilled tomato, hash browns, smashed avocado with edamame and tofu, teriyaki mushrooms, spinach, baked beans, and toast. For a lighter option, there is an açaí bowl consisting of açaí sorbet with banana, strawberries, peanut-free spread, and granola. Alternatively, customers can order an overnight oat bowl with chia seeds, coconut milk, sweet mandarin, sour cherry compote, and sunflower seed brittle. Avocado toast with teriyaki mixed mushrooms is also available. For those seeking a less traditional …

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chunk foods pastrami queen

© Chunk Foods

Chunk Foods Partners with Pastrami Queen to Launch Plant-Based Pastrami in NYC

Chunk Foods, a producer of plant-based whole cuts, has partnered with Pastrami Queen, the home of Anthony Bourdain’s favorite pastrami sandwich, to introduce a new plant-based pastrami option. Pastrami Queen’s location at Moynihan Food Hall will offer “The Prince powered by Chunk,” a sandwich featuring Chunk’s plant-based pastrami, traditional New York deli mustard, rye bread, and a pickle, This partnership is groundbreaking, Amos Golan, founder and CEO of Chunk Foods, stated, “We’re thrilled about this partnership with Pastrami Queen, a beloved NYC institution. We can’t wait for New Yorkers to try this innovative and exclusive menu item.” Pastrami Queen, established on Manhattan’s Lower East Side in 1956, has a long-standing reputation for its hand-carved pastrami and traditional Jewish deli fare. According to Chunk, this partnership …

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Chloe Coscarelli

Chloe Coscarelli © CHLOE

Chloe Coscarelli Reclaims Her Place in NYC Vegan Food Scene With Opening of CHLOE

In a tale of redemption, celebrity vegan chef and cookbook author Chloe Coscarelli has opened her new vegan restaurant, CHLOE, at 185 Bleecker Street in New York City, the original site of her first restaurant, By Chloe.  Coscarelli, the first vegan chef to win Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars,” co-founded By Chloe with Samantha Wasser of ESquared Hospitality in 2015. The restaurant, which opened its first location in Greenwich Village, quickly gained recognition for its plant-based menu, leading to rapid expansion across New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and internationally to London and Canada.  An abrupt halt In March 2017, a legal dispute arose between Coscarelli and her business partners at ESquared Hospitality over the brand’s direction. According to the lawsuit, the company wanted to mass-produce her …

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Vegy sandwich

© Vegy

Chile’s Vegy Seeks Co-Founding Partners to Fuel Growth

Vegan start-up Vegy, founded in 2019 in Pucón, Chile, is seeking investors and co-founding partners to take its business to a new level of accelerated growth. The company, known for its gourmet and healthy dishes, has incorporated recent innovations including fortifying its products with vitamins and minerals. Cristóbal Esparza, the founder behind Vegy, started his entrepreneurial venture with a small vegan restaurant in Pucón. With limited resources and the support of a Sercotec fund, as well as some loans and reused equipment, Esparza formed Vegy’s first team, composed mainly of nutritionists committed to his vision. Despite initial success, the pandemic forced the closure of the Pucón location, leading the company to adapt by creating a website and implementing an online sales and delivery model from …

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Royale with cheese

© Mr. Charlie's/Stockeld Dreamery

Mr. Charlie’s Partners With Stockeld Dreamery to Launch Plant-Based Mr. Royale with Cheese

Sweden / New York-based vegan cheese brand Stockeld Dreamery has partnered with vegan fast food chain Mr. Charlie’s to launch the Mr. Royale with Cheese. The burger features Stockeld Dreamery’s dairy-free cultured cheddar, which is made with traditional cheese fermentation techniques. The cheese alternative is said to have excellent melting properties and a higher protein content than competing products. The Royale with Cheese is currently available at Mr. Charlie’s’ Los Angeles restaurant and will roll out at the chain’s San Francisco location in the next two weeks. “We’re delighted to be teaming up with these cool humans and their revolutionary cultured cheddar,” said Taylor Mckinnon, co-founder and CMO at Mr. Charlie’s. “I’m always trying to push the boundaries with our menu, so finding a plant-based …

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Next Level Burger newsweek winner

© Next Level Burger

Next Level Burger Outshines Conventional Fast Food Chains, Landing #1 Spot in Awards Voted by Newsweek Readers

Next Level Burger (NLB), which refers to itself as “America’s first 100% plant-based burger joint chain,” announces it has received the title of Best Fast-Food Chain in the 2024 Newsweek Readers’ Choice Awards and winning against conventional non-vegan chains. Next Level Burger was the sole plant-based nominee among conventional fast-food giants. The winners were selected based on public votes after a panel of experts at Newsweek put forward a list of nominees. Matt de Gruyter, co-founder and CEO of NLB, stated, “The fact that our 10-unit vegan restaurant chain was able to beat out chains with thousands of units and global brand presence is an incredible honor. For us, the significance of this win is even deeper, as it shows that consumers are becoming more …

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Urban Dessert Lab

Courtney and Zan © Urban Dessert Lab

“World’s First Oat-Milk Ice Crème Shoppe,” Urban Dessert Lab, Debuts New Plant-Based Desserts

Urban Dessert Lab (UDL), the “World’s First Oat-Milk Ice Crème™ Shoppe,” has announced the expansion of its dessert menu with the introduction of several new plant-based desserts. The shop, owned by sisters Courtney Blagrove and Zan B.R., has gained recognition for its unique dessert offerings and was recently named one of ESPN’s Champion Black Businesses for 2024. The first UDL location opened in New York City’s Lower East Side in 2020. The shop quickly garnered attention from food enthusiasts and celebrities, leading to high demand for additional locations. Responding to customer requests, the founders chose West Hollywood, Los Angeles, for their second establishment, which opened in February of this year.  New summer menu UDL’s new summer menu includes a variety of plant-based, gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, …

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The Plant It Food Co.'s vegan chicken

© Image courtesy of Eurest

Food Service Giant Eurest Teams Up with The Plant-It Food Co. to Bring Vegan Chicken to US Menus

Compass Group’s division Eurest, a leader in hospitality and food service in the USA, has partnered with the Irish company The Plant-It Food Co. (Plant It) to serve its plant-based chicken across its non-commercial operations in five markets: Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia, before a broader national rollout. Eurest, which highlights the versatility of Plant It’s vegan chicken, says that its chefs and dietitians have prepared it in multiple recipes — breaded, crumbled, filleted, or grilled — to suit diverse global and American cuisines, providing more plant-based options. The companies state that their partnership aims to promote healthier and more sustainable eating habits, highlighting the dual benefits of delicious food and positive environmental actions. “It’s exciting to introduce better-for-you options to our guests that they …

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Mellody Neat

© Mellody

Lewis Hamilton-Backed Neat Features MeliBio’s Bee-Free Hot Honey Sando

MeliBio, a bee-free honey producer, has announced that Neat, a prominent plant-based restaurant chain supported by Lewis Hamilton and Leonardo DiCaprio, has introduced a new menu item featuring MeliBio’s honey product, Mellody. The new dish, called the Hot Honey Sando and made with Mellody Spicy Habanero, is now available exclusively at Neat’s Nolita location in New York City. Darko Mandich, CEO of MeliBio, commented on the collaboration: “We are excited to see Mellody featured in Neat’s new Hot Honey Sando. This collaboration highlights the versatility and quality of Mellody, and aligns perfectly with our mission to create sustainable honey alternatives that help save the bees and protect biodiversity.” Mellody Spicy Habanero was launched earlier this year as the first vegan hot honey, joining the company’s …

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© Boermarke

Former Dairy Producer Boermarke Partners With Vivera to Launch Wide Range of ‘Vairy’ Plant-Based Alternatives

Dutch company Boermarke, a former dairy producer that now focuses exclusively on plant-based products, has announced the launch of a wide range of plant-based alternatives for food service under its Vairy brand. Vairy products have proven successful after launching at supermarkets in 24 European countries, and Boermarke has now formed a strategic partnership with Dutch meat alternatives producer Vivera to offer a wide range of savoury and sweet plant-based products for food service. These include meat and cheese alternatives, yogurt, ice cream, custard, and more. Boermarke says the products will help the hospitality, catering, and healthcare sectors make progress towards the protein transition. Boermarke goes plant-based After three decades in the dairy industry, Boermarke announced in September 2023 that it would become fully plant-based following …

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© SGF

Indian Restaurant Chain SGF Launches New Vegan Menu With High-Protein Options

Spice Grill Flame (SGF), a widespread, purely vegetarian restaurant chain in India, has launched a new vegan menu with two categories —100% Plant-Based Protein and Vegan. The dishes in the first category are made with soy, catering to customers searching for high-protein options. Meanwhile, the second category aims to provide wholesome meals that use SGF’s signature flavors and meet plant-based dietary requirements. With the new options, SGF is responding to evolving tastes and preferences within India, including the rising demand for healthier options. The vegan menu is now available at selected outlets, with more set to be added soon. SGF launched in 2012 with just two restaurants, and now has over 100 locations across India serving “tangy, spicy, and fiery 100% vegetarian cuisine”. The chain …

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Ditaly pizza with Väcka cheese

© Väcka / Ditaly

Spain’s Väcka Cheese and and Ditaly Pizzerias Collaborate to Launch ‘La Gazpacha’ Vegan Pizza

Väcka, Spain’s leading vegan cheese producer, has partnered with Ditaly pizzerias to launch a new 100% vegan pizza called “La Gazpacha”. This innovative creation features two of Väcka’s most popular vegan cheeses: Mözza, a fermented cheese made from melon seeds, and Fraïs with Basil, made with almonds, cashews and fresh basil. Made with a pizza dough fermented for 48 hours and coated in sunflower seeds, golden flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, golden sesame seeds,and poppy seeds for a crunchy texture, the new pizza is characterised by its fresh and aromatic taste. The Gazpacha also includes ingredients such as San Marzano D.O.P. tomato, pickled gherkin slices for sweet and sour nuances, nera di Gaeta olive, semi-dried tomato, salt and freshly ground pepper. Estrella Hernández, head of R&D&I …

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Beyond Meat Panda Express

© Beyond Meat

Panda Express Brings Back ‘Beyond The Original Orange Chicken’ to the USA in Response to Consumer Demand

Panda Express has announced the return of Beyond The Original Orange Chicken to its menus across the United States. This plant-based version of the hugely popular dish, created in partnership with Beyond Meat, is making a comeback due to substantial consumer demand. The dish, designed to replicate the crunchy texture and flavor of Panda Express’s traditional Orange Chicken, was initially launched nationwide in September 2022 after successful trials in Southern California and New York City in 2021. The trial phases saw the dish selling out in less than two weeks, prompting its expansion to 70 additional locations. In 2022, Panda Express also tested two other Beyond Meat dishes at its Pasadena, California location: Mapo Tofu with Beyond Beef and String Beans with Beyond Beef. Petition …

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BigZpoon

© BigZpoon

GreenPlate and BigZpoon Partner to Enhance Plant-Based Dining With Menu Personalization

GreenPlate, a plant-based consulting firm, and BigZpoon, a B2B SaaS company specializing in personalized allergen and nutrition services for the foodservice industry, have announced a partnership to offer restaurant diners personalized menus. Available to diners both in the US and globally, these menus will provide detailed nutrition and allergen information for each item, ensuring consumers know exactly what items are available to them based on their unique dietary preferences.  GreenPlate, a company supporting plant-based cuisine integration in restaurants, offers services such as menu development, chef training, marketing, brand positioning, and taste testing. The company’s team of expert chefs collaborates with culinary professionals to create plant-based dishes, helping restaurant owners expand their customer base, explore new revenue opportunities, and contribute to sustainability. BigZpoon provides online menu …

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