If a beefless spin on the Big Mac doesn’t tease your taste buds, you might try the Vopper.
Even if you’re still reluctant or skeptical, a new concept for meat-free fast food is fast making believers out of traditional burger lovers in Waterloo.
“Really what it’s about is making people feel good about eating fast food and removing that guilt,” said James McInnes, who co-founded Odd Burger with his wife Vasiliki back in 2017.
The vegan chain that’s rooted in the couple’s homemade recipes expanded to Willis Way in late September, and numbers don’t lie.
The Odd Burger Corporation, the world's first vegan fast-food chain to go public, announced record system-wide sales in October of more than $233,000 — a 41 per cent increase over the previous month, after opening new locations in Vaughan, London, Hamilton and Waterloo.
The chain had five, fully operational locations in October, plus a sixth location that opened Oct. 27. The company now expects to have 20 restaurants operational by this time next year, with plans to expand to Manhattan.
“Taste is always number one,” said McInnes. “We always say there’s no sacrifice eating in our restaurant — it’s about being able to indulge in fast food.
“We don’t advertise ourselves as healthy food — we say we are healthier fast food.”
Advantages of a plant-based diet include no cholesterol and less saturated fat without any of the growth hormones found in meat and dairy.
Odd Burger manufactures 30 plant-based products used exclusively by its restaurant chain.
“There’s a lot more fibre, generally speaking, in all our food,” McInnes said.
Most Odd Burger patties are made of chick peas, onion and flax.
The ChickUn is made from wheat gluten, chick peas and oats. The Sticky Chicken, Cordon Bleu and Buffalo sandwiches come highly recommended, as do the wingalings. Pretenders are knock-off on chicken fingers.
Such fare including the fries and onion rings are deep fried using traditional methods.
“Not trying to be overly healthy in that regard,” said McInnes.
“In terms of calories and sodium and that sort of stuff, we’re pretty similar to other fast food,” he said. “Again, it’s part of being in the category: ‘It’s gotta taste good.’ ”
There are wraps and salads, “but we’re not really trying to sell them,” McInnes joked.
The ice cream and shakes are made from pure coconut milk, and the desserts don’t skip on decadence.
There are variety of breakfast options as well, such as the Sausage Maple Crunch, that feature tofu instead of egg. The 'bac-un' is made with tempeh, a type of fermented soybean.
“Natural products you can feel good about eating,” McInnes said.
“We find that people who do eat meat want healthier options, but something that is quick and convenient and low cost,” he added.
“Our main customers are actually meat eaters that are seeking to improve their health and make a more sustainable choice for the environment and, I believe, part of that too is knowing you’re not harming any animals. There’s something about that where you can just feel a little bit better about making that choice.”
The company’s food truck has been a part of past rib fests in London and Burlington and proved to be one of the busiest vendors at times.
“Initially we were a little bit scared. We thought we might get some bones thrown at us,” McInnes said. “But we plan on continuing to stick our neck out there a bit, be edgy and take risks.”
Odd Burger is built to be COVID-proof as each location is designed for delivery and takeout only.
“We don’t have any seating in our restaurants,” McInnes said. “What that does is allows us to keep costs down and compete with bigger chains and have an efficient model.”
The kitchens are largely automated, with cooking pre-set, allowing for consistency and fresh food made-to-order at a reasonable and competitive price.
“That’s sort of the model that we’re kind of taking around the world,” said McInnes, who said he hopes to expand shortly in the tri-city area.
What is an Odd Burger? New vegan fast-food franchise welcoming Waterloo meat eaters - TheRecord.com
Read More
No comments:
Post a Comment