Bareburger To Launch Vegan Restaurant In 2018

During Nation's Restaurant News' 2017 MUFSO Conference in Dallas, the New York-based burger chain Bareburger announced plans to open a 100 percent vegan restaurant by next year.

Jonathan Lemon, Bareburger's culinary director, revealed this news to the "Future of Food" panel, proclaiming that "there will not be a drop of meat" in the currently unnamed restaurant, which has yet to select a chef for its kitchen. Lemon expects the concept to open in five months.

Bareburger, known for its use of exotic meats such as ostrich and boar, is seeking as many meatless alternatives as possible for their new vegan restaurant, according to NRN. The team is currently exploring sourcing jackfruit, tempeh, tofu, textured wheat protein, and lab-grown meat.

Bareburger is no stranger to vegan options. The chain has been selling its version of the "Impossible Burger" since March. The meat is made with wheat protein, potato protein, coconut oil, carbohydrates from a Japanese yam called konjac, xanthan gum, natural flavors, vitamins, and heme, a compound that allows the meatless patty to "bleed" as if it were made from real meat.

Lemon believes that customers appreciate the substitute and that meatless-ness is the way of the future. He told NRN, "As people become more aware of how sustainable plant-based diets are versus meat-based, they will naturally shift to more alternatives. Vegan food is getting better, but we feel that if we apply our culinary efforts to plant based diets we can serve a whole new demographic."

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