When it comes to new culinary experiences, consumers often venture outside of their homes to sample something different. This trend creates a significant opportunity for the plant-based category in the foodservice sector. We explore how brands can get in on the action and claim their seat at the table.
Just as plant-based products have increasingly taken up more shelf space in retail, their presence and quality have significantly improved in the foodservice industry. Vegan customers no longer need to settle for a bland mushroom in a bun instead of a juicy cheeseburger, or a dry falafel salad as the sole lunch choice. Now, everything from succulent steaks to stone-baked pizzas dripping with mozzarella have been made without animal ingredients, and can be found on a menu somewhere near you.
The foodservice category is perfectly positioned for trialling new vegan options and encouraging consumers to try something they would never have thought to eat at home. While a lack of cooking ability can deter people from buying plant-based alternatives in the supermarket, leading them to stick to what they know, the allure of exciting new foods cooked by professional chefs can tempt them into venturing out of their comfort zone when dining out.
50by25, a campaign run by UK charity Viva!, is encouraging the nation’s restaurant chains to pledge to make their menus at least 50% vegan by 2025. Emma Osborne, the campaign’s partnerships director, said that it has been encouraging to see how keen the UK hospitality industry is to address its impact on the environment.
“When we started this campaign, we were buoyed by big players such as IKEA, Burger King and our lead partners, Wagamama and Wahaca – who had already all made commitments to a 50% plant-based balance on their menus,” she told The Plant Base.
“It takes vision, leadership and courage to change the status quo and we are here to provide hospitality leaders with the confidence to be able to make these changes. Our ask represents a brighter and more sustainable business and planetary future – one that is well worth the investment of time and commitment required.”
Team efforts
The foodservice industry presents a notable opportunity for vegan food brands, such as producers of plant-based meat or seafood, to get their products noticed and enjoyed by more consumers.
Meat alternatives brand This partnered with UK bar chain Brewdog earlier this year to launch what it claimed were the world’s first vegan ‘skin-on’ chicken wings. Xander Fletcher, the company’s out-of-home controller, explained that the brand hadn’t yet encountered a truly realistic meat-free alternative to the popular meat dish.
“Foodservice is the perfect playground for this type of product given the high volume of chicken wings sold in the pub and restaurant sector – they are listed on most menus,” Fletcher pointed out.
“It’s well-documented that meat reduction is essential for global decarbonisation. However, to encourage people to switch out of their current meat-eating habits, you need to create products that appeal to meat eaters, that taste so good they don’t feel like they’re compromising when dining out.”
This is where meat alternatives come into play. They offer familiarity for those flexitarian consumers who are eager to cut down on meat for environmental reasons, yet still want to enjoy their classic favourites when eating out. For many, eating out is a treat and a cherished experience. Consumers won’t want to sacrifice the foods they love when they are spending time and money on a meal. The ability to closely mimic these familiar foods while helping consumers to reduce meat consumption is a game changer for the foodservice industry.
Additionally, it is crucial to evaluate the product you have developed and determine where it best fits – considering the type of foodservice establishment and the kind of dish it could be used in – as This’ Fletcher noted.
“It’s important to think about versatility in the kitchen – there’s no point launching a product into foodservice that is hard or fiddly to cook, or in the wrong case format,” Fletcher added. “You need to make an impact with chefs so that when they move to other ventures, they take your brand and products with them.”
This year has already seen some innovative collaborations among plant-based brands and foodservice businesses. Just as brands can strive to introduce their products into foodservice, partnerships can also work the other way around, exciting consumers by the chance to bring their restaurant favourites into the home. A notable example is The Tofoo Co’s recent collaboration with Temple of Seitan, a London-based vegan fast food chain.
Temple of Seitan offers a menu inspired by the classic fried chicken shops of the capital, using seitan to create its deep-fried vegan fillets, wraps, burgers and ‘chick’n buckets’. This year, the restaurant teamed up with The Tofoo Co to launch a new retail line featuring blended seitan and tofu products, comprising a chicken-flavoured seitan block and a smoky, spicy seitan ‘pepperoni’. This partnership leveraged the brand popularity of both businesses while bringing seitan – a popular ingredient for meat alternatives in foodservice, but with considerably less presence in retail – to mainstream supermarket shelves.
Meanwhile, taking a different approach to collaboration, Purezza – a 100% vegan UK pizzeria – acquired London-based vegan cheesemonger La Fauxmagerie, to help solidify its position in the plant-based cheese space and tackle both retail and foodservice sectors simultaneously.
Mitch Lee, Purezza’s head of sales, said: “We recently relocated the cheesemonger inside our Camden restaurant – offering over 40 SKUs of delicious plant-based cheese, and expanding the wine cellar to allow even more space for people to enjoy wine pairing and fondue nights”.
He added: “Often foodservice is seen as the less appealing partner to retail, but the range of market sectors to go after is huge. Personally, I still feel plant-based cheese needs to improve across the sector, and that’s where brands like ours come in to help show just how delicious vegan cheese can be.”
The opportunities for plant-based brands in foodservice are evident when we consider the progress being made in expanding vegan options across the sector. As international fast food giants, historically known for their meaty menus, begin introducing more plant-based variety – such as Mcdonald’s long-awaited McPlant burger or Burger King’s Vegan Royale – it is clear the tides are turning. We may soon see a future where the fast food sector is not dominated by meat.
Burger King, in particular, has committed to the 50by25 campaign and is working to provide more vegan alternatives at an affordable price for consumers. Earlier this year, Burger King Germany introduced an initiative to offer its plant-based products at a lower price than their meat counterparts – a move that Burger King Germany’s head of brand, Anna Mennel, described as “courageous, and never been done before among larger burger chains in Germany”.
“Of course, we have to keep an eye on costs when setting prices,” Mennel continued. “However, we are convinced that the price reduction will encourage more people to try plant-based products. It is another milestone on our way to more variety in taste.”
Since launching its first plant-based product in 2019, Burger King Germany has been working with plant-based meat brand The Vegetarian Butcher on the development of all plant-based burger patties and nuggets. Mennel explained that the success of the two companies’ partnership comes from a shared drive to responsibly produce more plant-based products that taste good, creating a solid foundation for collaboration. She added that for a successful partnership, both companies should work towards a common goal.
“Innovation and the flexibility to adapt to changing market trends, for example, can take the joint development of new menu items to the next level,” Mennel said. “Additionally, a partnership should ideally be long-term to help build stronger brand associations and customer loyalty.”
Juicy opportunities
Meat alternatives have become a menu staple in many restaurants, particularly within the QSR segment where items like burgers and fried ‘chick’n’ are all the rage. Chunk Foods, a plant-based meat brand based in Israel, sees this as a huge opportunity for growth – and for getting creative.
Amos Golan, Chunk Foods’ CEO and founder, said: “Last year it was reported that sales of plant-based meats sold to restaurants and other foodservice institutions reached $730 million in 2022, up 7.8% from the previous year, while US retail sales for plant-based meat – still the biggest overall category – remained flat at $1.4 billion“.
This spring, the company unveiled two brand-new innovations for the foodservice market, including what is claimed to be the largest ‘slab’ of plant-based meat available.
“I foresee our ‘Slab’ being used at barbecue joints for brisket or traditional Jewish delis for iconic pastrami sandwiches,” Golan enthused. “However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg for this incredibly versatile product. It can be cubed, pulled and cut into any shape a chef desires, making it a blank canvas for any culinary artist.”
This versatility enables foodservice businesses to develop a range of meat-inspired dishes that consumers love, moving beyond classic options like burgers and hotdogs to introduce something new. Chunk has also developed a ‘Cubes’ offering, designed for fast-casual establishments and suitable for standard preparation methods such as griddles, microwaves, sous vide and convection ovens.
Golan added: “For too long, plant-based options simply weren’t good enough. They often missed the mark on taste and texture, failed to meet the culinary standards of chefs, and were made with unhealthy and unnatural ingredients.”
“Over the last year and a half, we’ve dedicated ourselves to understanding the evolving needs of the culinary community. We’ve travelled from coast to coast, engaging directly with chefs and restaurant operators to gain insights into how our products are being integrated into their menus. Through these conversations, we’ve learned about their challenges and preferences, which has been invaluable in shaping our product offerings.”
Versatile veg
In addition to offering meat alternatives, some restaurants are fully embracing the ‘vegetable-led’ trend by putting whole plant-based ingredients front and centre on the plate. Instead of crafting meat alternatives, these establishments are showcasing plants as the star of their dishes, creating juicy, satisfying meals with simple, familiar ingredients. As more consumers seek to include fresh vegetables in their diets and reduce their consumption of processed foods, we can expect this trend to gain even more traction.
Wagamama, which has met its goal of a 50% plant-based menu, has unveiled some innovative examples of this commitment. One stand-out is its lion’s mane ‘steak’ bulgogi, which was featured as a limited-edition special for Veganuary earlier this year. This dish not only responded to the growing demand for vegetable-centric options, but also capitalised on increasing consumer interest in functional mushrooms and other fungi-based foods.
Elsewhere, at Purezza, the company is focused on innovating and collaborating with other brands in the space – such as meat alternative brands Fable and La Vie – while also respecting Italian heritage and keeping vegetables front and centre.
“A few years ago, the market was very much focused on meat alternatives – vegan replacements for chicken, burgers and sausages,” Purezza’s Lee told The Plant Base. “Whilst these still have their place, this year there’s been a bit of a pushback, partly fuelled by the media continually linking ultra-processed foods with plant-based meat.”
“At Purezza, our best-seller is still our chilli agave-infused pepperoni pizza – however, most of our pizzas and side dishes focus on making vegetables the focus.” Lee said that for many providers, vegan options feel like an ‘afterthought’ – so are often uninspiring. However, he praised Wagamama’s creative approach and would like to see more venues follow in the chain’s footsteps.
“The Wagamama team has put a great deal of time and effort into creating a truly fantastic plant-based offering, and it shows. A lot comes down to education, knowing the market – the products or recipes that actually work and have flavour, as well as the options that can drive extra sales from a new group of customers. At Purezza, we’re 100% plant-based and after nine years, we’re always evolving and improving our offering to make sure it’s as accessible as possible. Around 95% of our menu can be made gluten-free and we can cater for most allergies too.”
With more people looking to reduce their meat consumption, the foodservice sector will continue to play a huge role in helping consumers with this transition and inspiring them with new plant-based choices.
This’ Fletcher concluded: “Meat alternatives will form a large basis of the plant-based volume in foodservice, and products will only get better as technology and efficiencies in the supply chain improve, leading to better value and more price parity with meat. But we also see more vegetable-led propositions playing an important role. We believe they will live symbiotically, and that the best foodservice menus will contain a mixture of the two.”
