REPORT: America’s biggest restaurant chains scored on their plant-based offerings
The third annual Good Food Restaurant Scorecard ranks the top 100 restaurant chains in the U.S. on the depth, breadth, and promotion of their plant-based entrées.
THE GOOD FOOD INSTITUTE: ‘Despite skyrocketing demand for plant-based food across the U.S., 42 of the country’s favorite fast food and restaurant chains still don’t offer a plant-based entrée, according to a report released today by The Good Food Institute (GFI). The third annual Good Food Restaurant Scorecard ranks the top 100 restaurant chains in the U.S. on the depth, breadth, and promotion of their plant-based entrées. New GFI-commissioned data also released today reveals the size of the market opportunity on offer and shows that U.S. broadline foodservice sales of plant-based meat have grown 37 percent in the past year. This data covers U.S. shipments of plant-based meat from major broadline foodservice distributors to restaurant chains and non-commercial foodservice operators and was commissioned from NPD, a leading foodservice analytics provider.
While some of America’s most beloved brands like McDonald’s, Chick-Fil-A, and In-N-Out Burger have been slow to capitalize on the surging interest in plant-based eating in the U.S., 58 of the top 100 restaurant chains are taking advantage of the plant-based market opportunity–even increasing their plant-based offerings from 25 to 50 percent of their menu, like Panera Bread plans to do. Iconic brands like Burger King, Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s, and Panda Express are just some of the leading restaurant chains that have added plant-based items to their menus over the past 12 months, with Del Taco, Qdoba Mexican Eats, Red Robin, and Yard House adding additional items to their existing plant-based offerings…
“We’re at the tipping point where consumers are demanding plant-based foods and the industry is willingly responding with delicious options. This is no longer about a niche customer — it’s a major business opportunity,” said Panera Bread Vice President, Wellness and Food Policy Sara Burnett… According to research by The Good Food Institute, 30 percent of Americans are reducing their total meat consumption, and another 2018 Johns Hopkins study has found that 60 percent of Americans are reducing their consumption of at least one type of animal meat. This shift in consumer preferences could see the plant-based meat market capture 10 percent of the $1.4 trillion global meat industry and be worth $140 billion in the next decade’. SOURCE…
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