US burger chain Smashburger has launched a new alternative menu in UK locations featuring the vegan “Alternative Burger” and three vegan milkshakes.
Created by The Not Beef Burger Co, the new 92-calorie vegan patty is made from a variety of plant-based ingredients, including mushrooms, kidney beans, chickpeas, beetroot, golden beets, bulgur wheat, and soybeans. The alternative menu features the burger in a variety of different styles, such as the Avocado Club, the Classic Smash, and the Local Smash, as well offering the “Triple Double Down Line-Up” menu.
Whilst these options heavily feature a number of different cheeses and sauces, all of these can be replaced with vegan mozzarella, cheddar cheese, and mayo to make the order completely vegan. A butternut and chickpea patty is also available from the chain, again, in a number of different styles, such as Spicy Jalapeno Baja and Truffle Mushroom Swiss. Vegan Vanilla, Chocolate, and Cold Brew Coffee Shakes are also on offer.
The chain has launched the new burger for environmental reasons, says Smashburger UK Managing Director Tracy Gehlan. “Quite simply, the global demand for beef is unsustainable,” she said in a statement. “But as the market innovates to follow changing tastes and behaviours, no-one until now has produced – entirely in the UK – a credible, tasty, healthy and quality alternative from simple, bespoke, all-natural food ingredients.”
Gehlan continued, “the market has seen limited and very standard vegetarian burgers on menus for several years now, but the key has been creating a product that has the ‘Wow’ of the contemporary burger build and a taste experience that people love and can be eaten by literally anyone.”
The managing director also hinted that beef may soon be permanently off the menu for Smashburger UK. “We will still sell beef for the time being, but this is an important step forward in a journey that the entire industry needs to take,” she added.
Not content with changing its own menu, Smashburger has also issued a statement asking other leading food operators to follow its example and take steps away from serving beef to customers. “The clock is ticking on the environment and we can no longer think of this as something that might need to happen in the future. The customer is showing us the way and we must follow, so have you got what it takes to join us?” the chain questioned.
