The Next Generation of the Vegan Fast Food Restaurant | Odd Burger

Plant-based meat substitutes used to be confined to the aisles of health food stores and stands in farmers markets. However, with the explosion in discussions around the environmental and health consequences of eating meat, plant-based foods are growing in popularity on an international level.

In this episode of Plant-Based Revolution I chat with James McInnes, co-founder and chief executive officer at Odd Burger about his background in technology, why he became a restaurateur, and selling plant-based burgers at a meat festival in London.

I asked McInnes how Odd Burger came about and he says, “I've always had a passion for food and I would say I've always loved the idea of having a restaurant, so that's something that has always been I think within me but really when I went vegan I think that really sparked the idea that the power that we can have on the world with food.”

McInnes first started the business as an organic produce distribution company and next came a meal kit company where he and Vasilika, his wife and co-founder developed one hundred different recipes in a year. He says, “from that we actually developed a lot of the base for the recipes that we use today in many of our products at the restaurants.”

McInnes talks about why he chose to open a fast food vegan restaurant, he says, “we just love the idea of making something accessible because at the end of the day you know something costs three or four bucks people are more likely to try it than if it costs twenty.” He adds, I just love the idea of the economics of it, people with limited financial means can try it and that is the magic about fast food.

“I think a few things, if you compare us to other plant-based restaurants for example, I think right away it's the affordability factor,” says McInnes when talking about what separates Odd Burger from other plant-based restaurants. Odd Burger also has their own manufacturing center, McInnes says, having a vertical integrated supply chain and being able to control that from end-to-end plus food experience helps to keep costs in line.

McInnes says that when the pandemic hit, Odd Burger was already on its way to a more efficient business model. They had implemented self checkout in early 2019 and had replaced grills and flat tops with automated cooking equipment.

To hear about the technology including automation, and how having an efficient restaurant model helped Odd Burger navigate the pandemic, supply chain, and labor shortages, listen to this episode of Plant-Based Revolution.