Sell more ImpossibleTM Burger at your Restaurant
Tips from Honeybee Burger, LA’s finest plant-based burger joint
Image Source: Honeybee Burger Instagram(opens in a new tab)
Honeybee Burger(opens in a new tab) is a fast food burger restaurant in Los Angeles with one surprising secret: their menu is made entirely from plant-based meats like Impossible™ Burger and Impossible™ Sausage Made From Plants. From fries and shakes, burgers to breakfast offerings, their food is sustainable, environmentally conscious, and anything but boring! Their menu is so delicious and sought after that they have over 26K Instagram followers. With national expansion plans in the near future, you could say that they are experts in how to build a business with Impossible™ meat made from plants. Today, CEO Adam Weiss is sharing his tips to help you sell more Impossible Burger at your restaurant.
1. Staff education is important
Your staff are your biggest ambassadors, so make sure they know how to talk about Impossible™ products with guests. Create a quick pitch that’s easy to remember like: “Have you ever had an Impossible™ Burger? You should know it’s very meat-like, it’s not like any veggie burger you’ve ever had. It cooks and tastes like beef. You’ll be surprised, but it’s plant-based.”
2. So is in-store promotion
Customers will buy what you sell them, so make sure your Front of House staff talks about how excited they are about your Impossible™ menu items. In store branding is crucial as well.
If you want to grab FREE Impossible™ marketing assets like table tents, toothpick flags or posters, head over to our POS Store!
3. Cater to the decision-makers of the future: Millennials and Gen Z
Younger generations care about sustainability and message-forward brands. Be inclusive & share your message to get them excited to try your products. Don’t just say ‘It’s just like beef’. Instead, make them feel empowered by saying ‘This burger will blow you away AND you’re doing your part to lower your carbon and water footprint.’ They really appreciate that.
4. Avoid the names 'plant-based' and 'vegan'
97% of consumers don’t identify as vegan. If you want to build a sustainable business with plant-based products, you need to sell them by how amazing they taste, not what they’re made of. Instead of naming your new burger as ‘plant-based’ or 'vegan', try giving it its own name and follow with powerful language like ‘this will blow your mind!’
5. Try the brick if you want more flexibility
Impossible Burger comes in 1/3lb and 1/4lb patties, or a 5lb brick. My team has found a lot of success with the brick because it’s much easier to play with and provides more versatility. If you just want a tried and true burger that performs amazingly every time, then the patties are the way to go. Either way, you’ll get a dish that tastes amazing and yields up to 28% more than beef from a cow*. That’s a win-win for everyone!
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6. Don’t forget about toppings
Start with a really good bun, pickles, ripe tomatoes and a flavorful sauce. Then add cheese to double the flavor profile of your burger. Honeybee Burger won’t sell any burgers without cheese because it adds richness and creaminess. Make sure to get plant-based cheese as well because vegans will also order Impossible™ Burger and if you don’t have an option for them, you’re not able to give the best experience. Finish it all off with lettuce, but place it on the bottom of the burger. This allows the patty to hit the palate first and provides a more desirable eating experience(opens in a new tab).
Image Source: Honeybee Instagram(opens in a new tab)
7. Be mindful in how you cook it
Learn how to cook Impossible Burger correctly, Impossible Foods has tons of resources to help you. And when you cook it, put it on a part of the grill that doesn't touch a cow or other animal products. There are two benefits to this: you can show your commitment to vegans customers and it’ll come out better, trust me.
8. Start with a limited menu launch
Test your Impossible™ menu item before going full force. Only make what you think you’ll sell that day, don’t make a month’s worth. Then, once you see how your customers respond, plan adequately and scale. Since launching our Honeybee Burger we’ve added Impossible™ Bee-ritos, Impossible™ Sliders and our Brekky Bee made with Impossible™ Sausage Made From Plants.
*Impossible™ Burger yields up to 28% more product than 80/20 beef cooked at the same temperature