To cater to consumers committed to increasing their plant-based food and beverage intake, Starbucks is serving three new beverages made with plant-based milk alternatives: the Almondmilk Honey Flat White, Coconutmilk Latte and Oatmilk Honey Latte.
“Customers are looking for more ways to personalize their beverages,” said Raegan Powell, product developer for Starbucks. “We love how the nuanced flavor you get with plant-based milks pairs with espresso, either hot or iced. It’s a new way to start your new year.”
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. upped its plant-based game with a new salad base, Supergreens Salad Mix, a blend of romaine, baby kale and baby spinach. The mix stars in the Vegetarian Salad Bowl, which includes Supergreens, brown rice, black beans, fajita vegetables, tomato salsa and guacamole.
“At Chipotle, we are always looking for ways to innovate the existing menu offering,” said Nevielle Panthaky, vice-president of culinary at Chipotle. “Lifestyle Bowls allow us to preconfigure our real ingredients, including the new Supergreens salad blend, in a way that helps our guests reach or maintain their health and wellness goals.”
For those seeking to swap out meat for plant-based options in the new year, Pollo Tropical partnered with Beyond Meat to add two new vegan offerings to its menu: The Vegan Tropichop and the Vegan Wrap, both made with Beyond Beef.
“At Pollo Tropical, we pride ourselves on always offering guests the most delicious food at a great value,” said Hope Diaz, chief marketing officer of Pollo Tropical parent Fiesta Restaurant Group. “That’s why we’re excited to introduce the Beyond Meat menu items, so we can offer new great tasting choices to guests looking for plant-based options with the bold flavors they’ve come to expect from us.”
Uno Pizzeria & Grill also teamed up with Beyond Meat to introduce the Vegetarian Cheeseburger Pizza, which is topped with plant-based Beyond Burger.
Pret A Manger is launching its new “Veggies for All” menu, featuring a range of vegetable-forward options, including the Avo, Olives & Toms Sandwich, Harissa, Carrot & Feta Sandwich, Harissa, Carrot & Hummus Sandwich, Roasted Pepper, Feta & Olive Sandwich and Mediterranean Eggplant Wrap.
“The new menu is inspired by food developers from around the globe who joined together in New York with a mission to create veggie-based products that are delicious, filling, and innovative,” Pret A Manger said. “The new menu incorporates fresh ingredients, such as beluga lentils and grilled carrots. To make it easy for customers, every veggie-based product will be labeled with a green ticket in-store.”
The number of consumers following the keto, paleo and Whole30 diets is also climbing, and with it new menu items that meet the requirements of the diets.
Chipotle recently revealed its new Whole30 compliant chicken recipe as part of its Lifestyle Bowls platform, which also include keto salad bowls and paleo salad bowls. The new Adobo chicken is included in three Whole30 Salad Bowls.
“The new year is a popular time for people to participate in Whole30, so we’re excited that Chipotle’s Lifestyle Bowls continue to take the stress out of healthy eating on-the-go,” said Melissa Hartwig Urban, co-founder of Whole30. “Convenience is key to staying on track, so I worked closely with the culinary team at Chipotle to create three compliant bowls for the Whole30 community.”
El Pollo Loco is launching Pollo Fit Bowls, a new line of three better-for-you bowls for 2020.
The Double Chicken & Avocado Bowl and Double Chicken & Queso Fresco Bowl are keto certified, while the Double Chicken & Mango Pollo Fit Bowl is paleo-friendly.
“We know our customers are increasingly looking for varied approaches to healthy living, so it made sense to introduce a better-for-you culinary innovation in advance of the new year that not only delivers on taste, freshness and high-quality ingredients but is also accessible to everyone,” said Hector Muñoz, chief marketing officer at El Pollo Loco. “This is only the beginning for our growing better-for-you menu and look forward to debuting additional offerings customized for varying lifestyles in 2020.”
New from Smoothie King are Hiit Fit Smoothies, featuring a 40/30/30 balance of carbs, fat and protein. Both the chocolate cinnamon and veggie mango varieties are paleo-friendly and include the chain’s FITAID + Paleo Protein.
B.GOOD is rolling out its Lifestyle Menu, featuring new keto, Whole30 and paleo salads.
“We are continuously thinking about how our menu can best meet consumers’ ever-changing behavior and preferences,” said Linh Aven, executive chef at B.GOOD. “In 2019 alone, we revamped our menu to balance guests’ wide-range of dietary preferences and expanded our plant-based options with the introduction of four Flexitarian Burgers. The Lifestyle Menu builds on our commitment to supporting our guests and giving them great tasting options that they can feel good about eating.”
Chopt Creative Salad Co. is introducing new Whole30, keto and paleo-inspired dishes “for consumers looking for ways to adopt or re-adopt healthy habits,” the company said. The new offering includes the Spicy Bowl30, the MexiKeto Carnitas Bowl, the AvoKeto Chicken Club Salad and the Paleo Chicken Harvest Salad.
Piada Italian Street Food is launching a Keto BLT Salad and Paleo Berry Balsamic Salad as part of its new lifestyle menu.
“These new additions to the menu make Piada more accessible to all guests,” said Chris Doody, founder of Piada. “Whether guests have a restricted diet for health reasons or are just trying to establish different eating habits at the start of the new year, these new dishes open up the menu for everyone to enjoy something at Piada.”
