Photo courtesy of 5 Star Burgers
Dad's Green Chili Cheeseburger made with a plant-based patty from Healthy Planet. Stephen Gontram, owner of 5 Star Burgers, commends the patty's meaty flavor and texture.
For those who've made vegetarian new year's resolutions, 5 Star Burgers now has a veggie patty available as a meat-substitute for any of its burgers on the menu.
The product hails from St. Louis-based company Hungry Planet, which supplies its Range-Free™ burger patties to restaurants across the country. It's also a member of the newly formed Plant Based Foods Association, which joins the ranks of trade associations that represent the beef and poultry industries.
According to Hungry Planet's website, 5 Star Burgers will be the first restaurant in Missouri to offer the product.
"We like being the trendsetter," says Stephen Gontram, local owner of 5 Star Burgers.
Gontram says he was looking to expand the menu's options for vegetarians, and he met with the owners of Hungry Planet to try samples of the plant-based patty.
"The flavor is incredible," he says. "It was really refreshing to find a veggie burger that had a meaty flavor and texture."
Although Gontram says any burger on the menu works well with the plant-based patty, he recently tried it on the Dad's Green Chile Cheeseburger and dubbed it "phenomenal." The patty has been available at all three 5 Star locations in St. Louis (Clayton, Creve Coeur, and Kirkwood) since the first of the year, and Gontram says the response has been positive.
"People are happy that we're offering a meaty alternative," Gontram says. "And of course it's awesome for the environment. And it helps us out with our certification with the Green Dining Alliance here in town. I think it's important that you give people an option to eat something that they can be proud of."
