Plant-Based Burger Demand Soars
Restaurants can’t keep up with the clamor for the Impossible Burger as company experiences shortage.
May 06, 2019
NEW YORK – Impossible Burgers are having a great year. Since coming out as a faux meat alternative that has a realistic ability to “bleed,” the brand has skyrocketed and become a favorite among vegetarian and vegan eaters.
But keeping up with demand is a challenge, says Eater. A number of restaurants have added Impossible Burgers to their menus, but recently have had trouble securing more cases. Impossible told distributors in April that an Impossible shortage was likely and that demand was outpacing manufacturing capabilities.
So, some restaurants are switching over to what is available instead: Beyond Meat. If you’re a vegetarian and have had both brands, you know which one you prefer. When Ruby’s, a restaurant in New York, told customers they had switched versions, managing partner Tim Sykes saw people turn around and leave.
Impossible Burger is making headlines in the fast food industry, too. Burger King announced that it will put an Impossible Whopper in more than 7,000 locations in the U.S.—an expansion that may have contributed to the shortage for others.
The company is currently working to ramp up production as restaurants figure out the best alternative.
