Nowadays, vegan products are an integral part of the product range at many supermarkets. Many restaurants and fast-food chains are also aware of the increasing popularity of plant-based products, and are offering alternatives. But how can vegan products make it into restaurants which have previously focused entirely on meat?
The best example is the company “Beyond Meat”. The Los Angeles-based company produces vegan meat alternatives such as the Beyond Burger, which consists of peas, beetroot, coconut oil and potato starch. The products are not only sold in supermarkets, but also compete with conventional hamburgers made of meat on many menus. In the meantime, Beyond Meat has even found its way into cinemas and wants to expand into 50 countries.
One restaurant offering Beyond Meat burgers is “The Butcher’s Club”. The gourmet burger restaurant in Hong Kong previously offered only meat dishes. To give customers an alternative, the vegan burger was added to the range last year. The restaurant now offers three different Beyond Burgers. According to the company, 12.5 percent of total sales come from the vegan range.
Founder Jonathan Glover believes that it isn’t just vegans who ask for the Beyond Burger. “There are people who just want to try a new product,” he says. “We do have vegans and vegetarians coming to our burger restaurant for the first time, which is great – it has created a new market for us. But we think many of the customers who order the vegan burgers are meat-eaters who are interested in trying them.”
This example shows that vegan alternatives can be very competitive. The Butcher’s Club has gained a new target group, and all its customers now have more options to choose from.
