According to the company, Beyond Burger is the world's only burger that looks, cooks and tastes like ground beef from cows but is made entirely from plants — without GMOs, soy or gluten.
“Chicago has been, and continues to be, a terrific market for us,” said Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown. “I’m so pleased to see the Beyond Burger gaining so much traction there, and am thrilled to gain placement in the meat aisle at Jewel-Osco. The consumer’s experience with the Beyond Burger needs to be as seamless as possible, including where they find it — in the meat section — and we applaud Jewel-Osco for thinking expansively about the future of protein.”
Epic Burger, Beyond Meat’s first restaurant partner in Chicago, sold over 20,000 Beyond Burgers across eight locations since launching in July, which equates to 10 percent of the chain’s sandwich and burger sales. The company believes this is because Beyond Burgers appeal to meat-lovers not just vegetarians.
Based in Los Angeles, Beyond Meat is a privately held company with investors including Bill Gates, Leonardo DiCaprio, Twitter co-founders Biz Stone and Evan Williams, former McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson and Tyson Foods.
The retail and foodservice outlets carrying Beyond Burgers in and around Chicago include:
- Jewel-Osco (185 locations throughout Illinois)
- Whole Foods Market (18 locations throughout Illinois)
- Mariano's (26 locations throughout Illinois)
- Epic Burger (8 locations throughout Chicago)
- Veggie Grill (2 locations opening Dec 2017)
- Twin Peaks Restaurant (4 locations throughout Illinois)
