update 9th Feb: Grill’d contacted us to note “we can’t say ‘fully plant-based’ either as we do still have dairy products” – the menu states also that some eggs are involved in the buns – nutritional info can be found here
Grill’d, an Australian restaurant chain with a focus on healthy burgers, announces it has fully veganized two of it locations in Sydney and Melbourne. The Crown St Darlinghurst and Collingwood locations will now serve a vegan menu entailing 23 fully plant-based options.
“It’s a real milestone moment for the Australian plant-based food industry,” Allen Zelden
The stores have been fully renovated to reflect the new vegan direction and will serve a menu including a huge range of Impossible Burgers, the Grill’d mushroom-based Fable range as created by Heston Blumenthal, and a line of plantain-based chicken burgers such as the Bird & Brie and Zen Hen. The chain will also reintroduce Meat-Free Mondays across all 142 of its locations.
“We’re thrilled to open the doors of Impossibly Grill’d, an entirely new healthy, sustainable plant-based restaurant concept where guests can enjoy the tastiest meat-free burgers in Australia,” said Grill’d founder Simon Crowe to the Sydney Morning Herald.
“Whether you’re vegetarian-ish, plant-based or experimenting with going meat-free, Grill’d is a progressive brand that supports all food tribes no matter consumer’s needs and preferences.”
Speaking to vegconomist today, Allen Zelden – APAC expert and founder of sustainability platform FutureVVorld – comments: “It’s a real milestone moment for the Australian plant-based food industry as it confirms that what was once seen as a fringe diet for vegetarians settling for some semblance of a meat-eating experience, is now increasingly being embraced as a healthy, mainstream and environmentally conscious lifestyle.
“Plant-based food offerings via food service channels are still a relatively new offering in Australia, however when one of our favourite burger chains comes out with data that shows their plant-based burger sales rise from 5% to north of 15% in mere months, it sends a very strong signal to our other food service outlets that Australians are actively seeking – and increasingly consuming – meat alternatives that taste delicious and address their environmental concerns,” says Zelden.
“Ultimately, Australia and international markets have an imperative to find ways to sustainably feed our growing population, and with the meat industry so visibly vulnerable during the pandemic, and the plant-based foods industry seeing greater adoption, this is a very encouraging sign for a healthier and more sustainable future.”
