Dive Brief:
- Impossible Foods is opening a brick and mortar foodservice concept called Impossible Quality Meats at the XMarket Food Hall near Uptown Chicago on Aug. 13.
- “This is all about availability and accessibility,” said CEO Peter McGuinness in an exclusive interview with Food Dive. “A lot of people think plant-based is like a warm beer or a cold shower, and it’s just simply not.”
- McGuinness said the opening is physical manifestation of the brand, and a creative way to bring the company’s portfolio together — with beef, chicken and pork products joining with breakfast lunch and dinner items.
Dive Insight:
The company said the opening is an ode to how Impossible first started — in foodservice after partnering with restaurants and then going on to feature products in Starbucks, White Castle and Burger King.
The concept will open for a limited time only and was designed around the plant-based pioneer’s portfolio of beef, chicken and pork. Menu items will include a Breakfast Sausage Sandwich, Chicago Style Hot Dog, Grilled Chicken Caesar — salad or wrap — and a dessert item in collaboration with Oatly.
“This is the biggest and boldest concept we have ever done,” said McGuinness.
In March, Impossible served over 60,000 meals at its booth at Expo West where it debuted its new packaging, and the company also had thousands of patrons at its booth at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago in May.
In recent months, the company has focused on getting the awareness of its products up and stepping away from the environmental impact of plant-based meat.
Taking on a different strategy from its competitors, Impossible has moved away from an all-or-nothing type messaging when it comes to plant-based foods.
“We’re trying to have a little bit of fun, and at the end of the day this is burger and hot dogs,” said McGuinness, “I think this whole category has been over intellectualized, and in some cases politicized, and in some cases it’s been partisan, and it’s been very heavy.”
Though the environmental and nutritional aspects are important, McGuinness said, the company is looking to take the stress and rhetoric away from the category.
In March, Impossible rebranded, changing its packaging to attract meat eaters. With the color red at the heart of the products’ new look, the company said it refocused them in order to “make meat from plants that tastes as good or better than the animal, and is nutritionally competitive.”
While Beyond Meat has leaned into health and wellness trends to launch new products, Impossible looks to bring back an experience of eating conventional meat products to plant-based meals. The Impossible Hot Dog, for example, was featured at a popup in New York City.
“We have to be careful about being a little overly righteous and overly serious,” said McGuinness. The CEO said he wishes the entire category was doing better and that part of the problem is that it hasn’t been completely inclusive.
“We stand behind our food. We know it’s delicious and nutritious, and and so consumers are smart. They’re going to choose the better choice. And that’s kind of our approach, right? We don’t want to guilt or manipulate people into it.”
