New York-based restaurant chain Just Salad is ditching beef from its entire menu and replacing it with plant-based Beyond Meat as the company promises to put ‘planet over profit’.
The restaurant chain has announced that its top-selling smokehouse steak salad will no longer be an option at any of its 40 locations.
Instead, it has replaced the grilled steak with Beyond Beef Meatballs in its Keto Zoodle Bowl. Customers can also choose the meatballs as an add-on to any salad, wrap, or warm bowl at $4.99 for three.
“The future of food is plant-based,” said Janani Lee, Just Salad’s Chief Sustainability Officer in a statement.
“We’re thrilled to offer our guests an alternative to beef that’s just as delicious yet significantly more eco-friendly.
“We know red meat’s incredibly wasteful and has a huge carbon footprint, so we decided to remove grass-fed steak from our menu and replace that with Beyond Meat,” she added.
Choosing Sustainability Over Profit
Just Salad is a strong advocate of sustainability-focused efforts. It was one of the first food- chains to introduce reusable bowls.
Earlier this year the company announced its Green Standard sustainability initiative – which includes transitioning from plastic bowls to biodegradable fiber bowls by the end of the year, sending zero waste to landfills by 2025, developing a composting program and participating in the NYC Carbon Challenge.
Following the announcement to ditch beef, Janani Lee told Forbes: “This move isn’t about winning guests, it’s about doing what we think is right as a company.”
“We know that some of our steak-loving guests might be disappointed, but we hope they can appreciate our concerns around beef’s environmental impact and are willing to explore our alternative protein options.”
She added: “We also believe this (offering plant-based meat options) is part of a new movement in environmental responsibility,”
“We serve over 30,000 people a day, so we have the potential to make a real difference in people’s lives and their overall carbon footprint.”
Partnering with Beyond Meat
Just Salad chose Beyond Meat over a growing number of plant-based players for its clean ingredients and consistent supply.
“We spent a lot of time weighing different plant-based options for our menu, and Beyond simply offers the most versatile and best tasting product out there,” Lee explained.
“Our R&D team made a number of recipes using ground Beyond Beef and conducted company-wide taste tests and small consumer focus groups.
“We all loved the Beyond Beef Meatball recipe and were excited by the endless culinary opportunities with Beyond Beef,” she concluded.
What is the best vegan meat alternative? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
Lifestyle
Vegan culture, food, beauty & more
UK’s first fully vegan school kitchen is a huge hit among pupils
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 23rd May 2022
The Lady of Sion School in Worthing opened what is believed to be UK’s first 100% Plant-Based Canteen serving black bean and quinoa meatballs in barbecue sauce, veggie fajitas with Mexican rice and meatless feast pizza. A school in West Sussex has received an overwhelming positive response after it adopted an all-vegan menu. In January, …
Continue reading “UK’s first fully vegan school kitchen is a huge hit among pupils”
75% of Brits prefer vegan cars, says new study
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 17th May 2022
A number of companies already offer a variety of plant-based leathers using everything from apples and cactus to pineapple leaves. A new poll has revealed that a majority of UK motorists are keen on buying fully vegan cars. In a research commissioned by the Vegan Society, people were asked about their opinions on vegan cars …
Continue reading “75% of Brits prefer vegan cars, says new study”
VEGAN MEMES
NEED A LAUGH?
QUIZZES
All the quizzes you love to binge!
QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert
- Marlon Farrugia
- 10th January 2020
How much vegan knowledge do you have stored away? Do you have to Google your way through a shopping trip, or do you have all the bad E-numbers memorised? Find out now with this quiz. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …
Continue reading “QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert”
QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 13th October 2019
Spook Season approaches. There will be ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and glucose. You need a costume, and you want to it to show off your personality, which means VEGAN. But what to choose? Take our quiz to find out your perfect outfit. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a …
Continue reading “QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?”
QUIZ: What kind of vegetable are you?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 26th September 2019
“If you were a vegetable, what kind would you be?” A question that has tormented humanity throughout the ages – until now. Read: QUIZ: If you score 19/20 on THIS quiz, you’re a Vegan God Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …