Excerpted from Business Insider story
The healthy fast-casual chain Veggie Grill, is betting that its burgers taste as good — or even better — than McDonald's Big Macs.
Veggie Grill's burgers are made of pea protein, while its "chicken" sandwich contains soy, pea, and wheat protein.
"Today’s consumer is more mindful and aware that eating a diet made up primarily of veggies, fruits, grains and nuts is better for you," says Steve Heeley -Veggie Groll's CEO— who, predictably, is a vegan.
Veggie Grill serves fast-casual food that has fewer calories than traditional fast-food items. Its menu includes dishes like tempura green beans and "fish" tacos, with prices ranging from $3.50 to $11.50.
The chain has 28 locations right now, all of which are in California, Washington, and Oregon. After a $22 million investment, Veggie Grill is preparing for a nationwide expansion.
The company's popularity reflects a larger shift in consumer preferences toward healthier, meatless options.
To lure fast-food customers, Veggie Grill is offering several veggie burger options. On December 14, all locations will start selling the Beyond Burger, a plant-based (non-meat) burger made mainly from pea protein, yeast extract, and coconut and sunflower oil.
Several investors, including Bill Gates and Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, have thrown their support behind Beyond Meat, which seeks to create a burger that tastes exactly beef. In May, Beyond Meat started selling its burger in refrigerated meat aisles at select Whole Foods.
Persuading Americans to eat less meat is going to be difficult. Americans are still among the highest per capita eaters of meat in the world Recently, however, the amount of meat US consumers eat has been slowly declining. Other salad-centric chains, like Freshii and Sweetgreen, and vegan chains, like Choices Café and Ecorazzi, have found success in recent years, too.
Meat production is harsh on the planet. Traditional livestock farming accounts for an estimated 18% of all global greenhouse emissions, uses 70% of the world's water, and exhausts 47,000 square miles of land every year. Cattle is the main source of this environmental havoc.
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