30 Sliders, 5 Fries, and 4 Large Cherry Cokes

by: David Nickelson, Director of Research

Innovation in the food space appears to be the flavor of the month. Burgers are in the news again although not those of the lab-grown variety that I highlighted last week. This time it's plant-based burgers coming to Whitecastle which will be rolling out their soy-based Impossible Slider nationwide.

Even more interesting to the rollout is one of the men behind it. Actor Kal Penn, who rose to fame for his role as Kumar in the cult classic film, Harold & Kumar go to Whitecastle is an investor in Impossible Foods which developed and supplies the burger. Rather than making a burger to appeal to vegetarians and vegans, Impossible Foods set out to develop a burger that appeals to consumers who want the taste and texture of familiar meat-based foods, without the environmental or health impacts associated with traditional animal sources of protein.

Impossible Foods, based in Silicon Valley, boasts several issued patents and pending applications geared towards protecting the technology they have developed. Let's hope that Kal's journey to Whitecastle this time around is less eventful than it was for Harold & Kumar.

Are you looking forward to trying the new Whitecastle burger? Do you have a favorite scene from Harold & Kumar go to Whitecastle? Let us know in the comments!