The health and well-being trend that is such a strong part of Australia’s hospitality industry is not limited to low calorie, low sugar and low alcohol drinks; more and more Australians are looking for venues that offer meat-free dishes on their menus.
According to the Food Frontier 2020 State of the Industry Report, 47 per cent of Australians are actively reducing the intake of animal products in their diet. This is seeing a rise in ‘flexitarian’ diners, those people who are choosing to reduce their meat consumption for some or even all of their meals.
But, as the hospitality industry has seen with the rise in proper non-alcoholic spirits, people still want to have their ‘occasion’. We crave social interactions and so the popularity is soaring for products that enable occasions to still happen, meaning you can have a burger that is meat-free or a G&T that is alcohol-free.
These products are also ones that work for venues and staff. With non-alcoholic spirits, bartenders can mix the drinks they have always mixed, in the same way, understanding those techniques and flavours. And this is hugely important for chefs as well, being able to offer meat-free items on the menu, without having to radically change kitchen operations is a massive bonus.
This is where the HARVEST GOURMET® Sensational™ Burger comes in. This is a burger that meets the growing desire for plant-based food, it offers consumers the perfect meat-free patty meaning they can enjoy burger night without the meat, and it cooks like a beef patty, meaning there is no disruption to the kitchen.
The HARVEST GOURMET® Sensational ™ Burger is meat, made from plants. It contains protein in the form of soy and wheat, it has the appearance of marbled fat through coconut oil, and vegetable concentrates create the rich beefy colour.
Collingwood burger joint Easey’s has built a huge reputation for its amazing burgers since it opened in 2012, and CEO Jimmy Hurlston said the HARVEST GOURMET® patties have proved really popular in the venue.
“A lot of people who eat meat regularly have taken to these burgers really well. They look like a burger patty, they feel like a burger patty when you eat them. There’s the same mouthfeel as eating a hamburger patty.”
Hurlston also said the burger is great if you’re in a food truck, or you have a venue with not a lot of space, “You don’t need the deep fryer, or anything else, you can cook a vegetarian option on the grill that’s not just a boring old mushroom.”
He added: “It’s a very simple and seamless way to transition from carnivorous food into a flexitarian option.”
If your venue does not have vegetarian or plant-based options on the menu then the chances are you are missing out on key revenue. For example, customers already have limited options during lockdown restrictions, so if your venue does not offer meat-free take-away options, those customers will look elsewhere.
The other great thing about the HARVEST GOURMET® Sensational ™ Burger is that because it is such a tasty burger it offers menu flexibility.
As well as being a patty in a burger, you can use it as protein in a veggie stack, it can be used in burrito and salad bowls and it can even be blended with BUITONI® Sugo Per Pasta and used to make a vegetarian Bolognese sauce, all simple but tasty meat-free adaptations to popular menu items.
The HARVEST GOURMET team will help your venue with introducing new menu items and marketing support, so to find out more about this delicious meat-free burger, contact the team at HARVEST GOURMET and book in a free demonstration.