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How Plant-based Meat Substitutes Might Fit Your Menu

In the past year, I have found that about half of my menu design and engineering clients are offering a plant based meat alternative (PbMA). The other half are asking my opinion on whether or not to offer these items.

As defined by The Good Food Institute, a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 2016 that promotes plant- and cell-based alternatives to animal products, "plant-based meat producers strive to transform raw ingredients into products that replicate the cookability and organoleptic properties of restructured or whole-muscle conventional meat." In simpler terms, they are vegetarian or vegan substitutes for meat.

If plant-based meat substitutes have piqued your interest, you're not alone, particularly if you are not sure where they fit into your independent concept's offerings. While the jury is still out on plant-based meat nalogues, you should not ignore them. That said, you might need to get real on the size of the market for these menu items and how to promote them effectively.

The feel-good factor for PbMAs is compelling. There is ample evidence that PbMAs are better for the environment than the real thing. According to The Good Food Institute, in comparison to conventional beef, one popular plant-based meat analogue burger reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 89 percent.

However, when all is said and done, a plant-based meat analogue – where it represents beef, chicken, or any other animal protein, is a substitute for what consumers think of as real meat. It is important to bear in mind that, by design, they are an alternative to meat, not a replacement for them. And this figures into where they fit on your menu. By the way, we're going to avoid naming specific PbMA brands in this article, as much as possible. If you follow the industry, you likely know the most prominent brands, all of which do a pretty good job of imitating other proteins like beef and chicken.

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Recently, I spoke with a sales representative for one of the leading brands of PbMAs at a major industry trade show. As I sampled a meatball and a slider made from her company's products, she asked if I knew any restaurant operators offering their brand's PbMAs. I told her I represent dozens of restaurant operators who offer the brand she represents, as well as others.

As you would imagine from a sales rep, she asked how these items were selling. I shared my experience with her, in menu engineering terms. I found them to be puzzles. In other words, items that are profitable, but are not selling well. Puzzles are the menu items that you wish you could sell more of because they make you money.

She then asked if the PbMA patty her company produced was offered as a specific item on the menu, or simply offered as a substitution for meat items. I told her I had seen it offered both ways. She suggested a number of ideas to promote these items. I politely listened, but I felt she overlooked the prime benefit of including a PbMA burger on the menu. And, as she suggested, the reason is not because the product is a better burger that can easily compete for sales with the beef burgers on the menu.

The main argument to offer PbMAs on the menu is they are substitutes that can overcome the "veto" of the one guest in the group who does not eat meat. Com- mon experience tells us many people dine in pairs or in small groups. The PbMA offering can overcome the objections of the vegan, vegetarian, or environmentalist in the party. That said, if the only vegan or vegetarian item on the menu is a PbMA burger, that might not be enough to clear the veto hurdle. But it is a step in the right direction.

If your concept is a successful vegetarian and vegan restaurant, it is likely your guests do not patronize you for something that looks like meat. I have a hard time envisioning the appeal of a PbMA to guests who are specifically seeking a vegan or vegetarian menu.

If your business offers meat items, you have to bear in mind that vegans and vegetarians still represent only five percent of the population. Nevertheless, you don't want to turn them away from your restaurant. You just need to maintain perspective on the sales potential of vegan and vegetarian items, including PbMAs. Simply said, they are worth offering. You just need to adjust your expectations and strategy.

Promoting PbMAs

As tasty as they are, I do not believe any of the meat alternatives will inspire any guest to say "I'd come back for that." The products are good; however, they are substitutes for something craveable.

PbMA menu descriptions often say something along this line: "Tastes just like a real beef burger". Unfortunately, it makes the item seem like an imitation, rather than something real and craveable in its own right.

Consider that if the guest is considering ordering a PbMA burger, they are likely craving a nice, juicy burger. And unless they are firmly set against eating meat, ordering a plant-based meat analogue is risky. The guest who is considering a meat alternative burger likely knows what a good burger tastes like. A question that might weigh on their mind is do they want to take a chance on something that aspires to be a burger, but really isn't?

My recommendation is to avoid "just like real beef or chicken" descriptions. Address the risk aver- sion of uncertain but "PbMA-curious" guests with "we guarantee you'll like it, or we'll buy back what you don't eat".

Other approaches might be creating a special burger offering unlike anything on the menu that features the plant-based meat analogue. Something with a uniquely crave-able recipe that stands out from other menu items.

For example:

Pepper Jam Burger
Impossibly delicious vegetarian patty cooked to perfection and topped with pepper jam, crisp lettuce, vine-ripe tomato, sliced red onion and bread and butter pickles on a toasted vegan bun.'

In other words, make it sound like you put some thought into the item, not as an alternative, but as a special offer for your guests.

Looking Into My Crystal Ball

What does the future hold for plant-based meat analogues? According to Super Market News, in 2021, plant-based meat dollar share was 2.7% of retail packaged meat sales or 1.4% of the total meat category (including random weight meat).

That said, plant-based meat sales have increased 19% over the last two years. While foodservice numbers are harder to find, my guess is that they are somewhat less. My own experience tells me that the plant-based meat substitutes account for a negligible portion on every menu I've ever worked on.

I see that changing for a number of reasons. There are consumers who are adamant about eating only plant-based foods, and none of those consumers will be coming back to animal protein any time soon.

Sales of plant-based foods rose 6.2% year over year, reaching a new high of $7.4 billion in 2021, according to new data released by the Good Food Institute. In addition, PbMA sales continue to grow strong, increasing 74% in the past three years and outpacing the growth of conventional meat by almost three times.

Address the risk aversion of uncertain but "PbMA-curious" guests with "we guarantee you'll like it, or we'll buy back what you don't eat".
Other approaches might be creating a special burger offering unlike anything on the menu that features the plant-based meat analogue. Something with a uniquely crave-able recipe that stands out from other menu items.

Approximately 13% of Burger King's Whopper sales are plant-based Impossible Whoppers, which is enough to make that burger a good seller. Beyond Meat, the Los Angeles–based publicly traded producer of plant-based meat substitutes founded in 2009, is collaborating with McDonald's, and product is being tested in restaurants in the United States. It would seem to bode well for Beyond Meat's future, although recent news reports indicate lackluster sales of its McPlant burger. One must question if the problem is not the quality of the menu item, but rather its name.

Cases in Point

It's not all about burgers. Roostar, a Vietnamese fast-casual concept with three units in the Houston metro offers Impossible PbMA in addition to other protein and vegetarian options in its signature bahn mi sandwiches. Co-owner Ronnie Nguyen says, "It is doing really well and with a high margin. We decided to have it on our menu because after seeing an increase in Tofu sales over the past years we believe that there is high demand for vegan and vegetable options. It's a very versatile dish. We can do vegan fried rice or a vegan meatball with it too. It tastes really good. Some folks would say that it actually tastes better than beef."

When asked why he believes some concepts are not having success with PbMA offerings, Nguyen suggests that their menus might be too large, and the plant-based alternatives are getting lost. He also suggests placing a vegetarian or vegan icon next to the item to catch the attention of customers seeking these options.

According to Mike Buda, owner of Holly's restaurant in Michigan City, Indiana, the concept sells fewer than 10 PbMA burgers per week priced at $14.99. His plate cost is $3.60, leaving a healthy plate contribution of $11.39. Holly's restaurant promotes the item "[Our PbMA burger] tastes just like our all-beef patty, so it's not just for our vegan friends. Topped with raw onion, vine-ripe tomato and leaf lettuce."

Possibly, Holly's mistake is promoting it as "just like our beef patty-style burger" rather than offering something differentiated from other items. Nevertheless, Holly's is committed to offering this option, even if only to serve the few people in his community who order this burger. As Buda puts it, to drop the item, in spite of its low sales, would not leave his customers with a vegetarian option, something he is not willing to do.

That might be the strongest case for offering PbMA alternatives on your menu, regardless of the size of the market at this time. You need to appreciate and understand that your guests won't necessarily order these items. But it is possible they would be much less likely to visit a restaurant that doesn't offer them. I recall something Larry Light told me when he was the global chief marketing officer for McDonald's.

I mentioned to him that it appears McDonald's salad offerings were not selling well. Said Light, "Yes, they may not be. But millions of women with children might never come into a McDonald's restaurant if we didn't offer them a salad option. They might not ever buy a salad; but it definitely factors in why they visit our stores."