Over the last decade, there has been a significant increase in the number of food service operators offering menu items made with plant-based ingredients used as substitutes for more traditional ingredients. This increase has been largely driven by two key factors:

1. Guest preferences
2. Plant-based product quality improvements

Guest Preferences

Casual observers assessing the U.S. consumers’ transition to new plant-based food alternatives might easily assume there has been a radical change in the number of food service guests who no longer prefer to eat meat and consume traditional dairy products such as milk and cream.

They would be wrong.

According to a recent Gallup Consumption Habits poll 4% of Americans say they are vegetarian and 1% are vegan. These figures are similar to what Gallup has measured previously, including in 2012 and 2018ⁱ. However, a number of things have changed including:

✓ Enhanced recognition that plant-based foods, such as those featured in the Mediterranean diet (i.e., a diet featuring whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats) can help lower the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancerⁱⁱ.
✓ A heightened recognition, especially among younger consumers, about the impact of meat production on the environment.
✓ An increased concern about the humane treatment of animals raised for food.
✓ Food fads, peer-pressure and social media influence.

Additional key factors driving the trend toward plant-based products include these products’ increased quality, variety, availability, and lower costs.

Plant-based protein substitutes are not new. When, in 1971, textured vegetable protein (TVP) (invented by the Archer Daniels Midland company) was approved by the USDA for use in school lunch programs, generations of American students were impactedⁱⁱⁱ. Today, TVP and similar products are widely accepted and are used to create a variety of meat analogs (plant-based meats in which the texture and taste are similar to the conventional meat or seafood product). These include products that mimic the texture and flavor of chicken, beef, bacon, ham, sausage, hot dogs, fish, and other seafoods. Other increasingly popular plant-based protein alternatives include tempeh, seitan, beans, lentils, and nuts.

Plant-based “non-meat” alternatives are also surging in popularity. Examples include a variety of tasty plant-based milks including almond, oat, soy, coconut, and cashew often used to make upscale coffee drinks. Product quality improvements are also notable in a variety of other non-meat alternatives including yogurts, cheeses, egg substitutes, and a variety of spreads (dairy-free butters) and fats.

Despite increased guest interest savvy food service operators must still tread carefully as they consider the expanded use of these items on their menus. Consider that, in late 2021, one major QSR chain in the U.S. rolled out a plant-based burger test believing this new menu item would sell well. But, despite significant marketing efforts, less than one year later the trial run was discontinued.

Restaurant chains and independent operators will, no doubt, continue to experiment with new and improved plant-based product alternatives. Key takeaways to be considered in doing so, however, include the facts that:

• Guest desires vary: Guests seeking plant-based alternatives are not all of one mind. Menu items that may interest an environmentally conscious guest may hold little appeal to a guest avoiding dairy products because they are lactose intolerant.
• Guests don’t want substitutes, they want alternatives: Guests most often view substitutes for what they want as less than desirable options but will view new alternatives as an expansion of their choices. This distinction is important.
• Menu price matters: In most cases guests will be unwilling to pay more for a plant-based alternative than they would for the item it is replacing.
• Names are important: A menu item touted as an “All Plant Cheeseburger” will not appeal to as many guest as will a “Plantiful Cheesyburger.” Operators must be creative while remaining accurate.
• Visuals count: Plant-based alternatives and substitutes will best succeed when they look as good as they taste.
• Taste trumps all: It is important to recognize that, as is true for all menu items, taste is the main reason people will come back to buy and eat plant-based products the second time.

The bottom line for savvy food service operators is that they must carefully consider the desires of their own guests, not just product availability or temporary food fads, as they make informed decisions about where best to use plant-based ingredient and menu item substitutions.

As addressed in detail in Management of Food and Beverage Operations, (Chapter 6: Menu Planning) there are myriad additional factors impacting the best menu items and ingredients to be offered to guests, and all of these key factors must be taken into careful consideration as operators create product offerings designed to expand and please their own target markets.

ⁱhttps://news.gallup.com/poll/510038/identify-vegetarian-vegan.aspx Retrieved 1/11/2025
ⁱⁱhttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11095673/ Retrieved 1/11/2025
ⁱⁱⁱhttps://www.fns.usda.gov/nslp/program-history Retrieved 1/15/2024