Australian upscale burger chain Grill’d has converted two of its locations into completely plant-based restaurants, with Founder Simon Crowe stating in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald that consumer interest in plant-based meat was here to stay.
The Darlinghurst and Collingwood Grill’d stores have been rebranded as ‘Impossibly Grill’d’ and will serve the existing line-up of burgers and other menu items featuring plant-based meat alternatives from U.S. company Impossible Foods, and Australian companies Fable and Plantein.
The move comes amidst a backdrop of continually increasing prices for both conventional meat and petrol, with Crowe explaining he has “not seen this sort of pricing pressure for over 10 years.”
Grill’d has seen the sales of its plant-based burgers rise from 5% to over 15%, with the company leadership prepared to back the taste and quality of the plant-based menu. “If I blindfolded you and gave you the [Impossible] burger, I bet $100 that you couldn’t tell the difference between this, and beef,” said Crowe. He explained that winning consumers over to meat alternatives required hard work to ensure both taste and quality, but was confident that his business had “cracked that nut.”
The founder acknowledged the launch of the two plant-based stores as part of a wider strategy to position Grill’d as more sustainable than the chain’s competitors, as consumers increasingly look to make more environmentally sustainable food choices.
There are ongoing efforts from foodservice outlets in Australia and overseas to capture growing consumer interest in plant-based meat alternatives. Last year, local burger chain Betty’s Burgers indicated it would be adding more plant-based options to its menu, while Hungry Jack’s has featured a v2food plant-based patty in its Rebel Whopper since 2019. In the U.S., KFC has rolled out its Beyond Fried Chicken trial nationwide, while McDonalds plans to extend its trials of the McPlant there following successful introductions across European markets.
READ MORE: Grill’d burgers to cost more as it bets big on meatless movement [Sydney Morning Herald]
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