OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Impossible Burger is making its pro sports stadium debut today in California, at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum. Impossible Foods worked with leading venue manager Spectra Food Services and Hospitality, managers of the Oakland Alameda Coliseum, to provide the plant-based burger to fans.
The Impossible Burger will be served in two locations at the ballpark: Concession Stand 123 and Shibe Park Tavern. The burgers make their debut on “Opening Day,” Thursday, March 29, when the Oakland A’s play against the Los Angeles Angels at 1:05 p.m.
“The quality and variety of food offerings at the ballpark is a key part to the fan experience,” said A’s President Dave Kaval. “We love the story behind the Impossible Burger. It is not only cutting edge and innovative in its approach to food production, but it is also the best plant-based burger currently on the market. We are thrilled to be the first team to offer it to our fans.”
The Oakland Alameda Coliseum -- one of 175 Spectra-managed stadiums nationwide -- will offer the Impossible Burger in two signature stylings, along with a wide variety of toppings, sauces, and sides. The burgers, created by Executive Chef Effie Spiegler, include Impossible “French Onion” Sliders with caramelized balsamic onions, oil-cured tomatoes, brie spread and brioche slider buns at Concessions Stand 123, as well as an Impossible “Breakfast Burger” with oil-cured tomatoes, applewood-smoked bacon, a sunny side egg, ghost pepper cheese, bacon aioli and a brioche bun at Shibe Park Tavern.
“As a leader in sporting venue management, the Spectra team is proud to be the first to serve the popular Impossible Burger to Oakland A’s fans,” said Regional Vice President for Spectra Food Services & Hospitality Jay Satenspiel. “Impossible Foods’ manufacturing facility is also in Oakland, and we love to partner with neighbors who are contributing to the city’s thriving economy, and share the 'Rooted in Oakland' mantra.”
IMPOSSIBLE BEEFS UP RESTAURANT REVENUE NATIONWIDE
While Spectra’s Oakland Alameda Coliseum is the first sports stadium to serve the Impossible Burger, more than 800 restaurants are already serving the award-winning burger from Impossible Foods. Click here for the most recently updated list of restaurants serving the Impossible Burger.
Restaurateurs can order the Impossible Burger through many of their preferred distributors, including Sysco, US Foods, Chefs Warehouse and Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors. To order the Impossible Burger, ask your distributor or send an email to hello@impossiblefoods.com.
“The restaurant business is one of the most competitive industries in America — and the Impossible Burger is one of those rare menu items that brings new customers in the door and keeps them coming back,” said Impossible Foods Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer David Lee. “We are happy to help restaurants increase revenue while surprising and delighting customers.”
The Impossible Burger is the only plant-based burger that’s featured in America’s most beloved “better burger” concepts FatBurger, Umami Burger, Hopdoddy, The Counter, Gott’s and B Spot, the Midwest burger concept owned by Chef Michael Symon.
BIG TASTE, SMALL FOOTPRINT
In development since 2011, the Impossible Burger cooks, tastes and smells like ground beef from cows -- but is made entirely from plants. The Impossible Burger, which debuted in July 2016 at Chef David Chang’s Momofuku Nishi in Manhattan, won a 2017 Tasty Award for best food startup.
The Impossible Burger is produced without hormones, antibiotics, cholesterol or artificial flavors. It uses about 75% less water, generates about 87% fewer greenhouse gases, and requires around 95% less land than conventional ground beef from cows.
The Impossible Burger is made from simple ingredients, including water, wheat protein, potato protein and coconut oil. One special ingredient — heme — contributes to the characteristic taste of meat and catalyzes all the other flavors when meat is cooked. Impossible Foods discovered how to get heme from plants, transforming the Impossible Burger into a carnivore’s delight that’s light on the planet.
Impossible Foods launched production in September at its first large-scale manufacturing plant, in Oakland, Calif. As the Oakland plant ramps up over the next several quarters, Impossible Foods will expand distribution to even more restaurants. To learn more about Impossible Foods’ plant in Oakland, watch this video.
After the Oakland plant is fully ramped up, Impossible Foods plans to launch retail sales. The company is also developing additional plant-based meat and dairy products.
ABOUT SPECTRA
Spectra by Comcast Spectacor is an industry leader in hosting and entertainment, partnering with clients to create memorable experiences for millions of visitors every year. Spectra’s unmatched blend of integrated services delivers incremental value for clients through several primary areas of expertise: Venue Management, Food Services & Hospitality, and Partnerships. Learn more at SpectraExperiences.com.
ABOUT IMPOSSIBLE FOODS
Based in Redwood City, California, Impossible Foods makes delicious, nutritious meat and dairy products directly from plants — with a much smaller environmental footprint than meat from animals. The privately held company was founded in 2011 by Patrick O. Brown, M.D., Ph.D., formerly a biochemistry professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Stanford University. Investors include Khosla Ventures, Bill Gates, Google Ventures, Horizons Ventures, UBS, Viking Global Investors, Temasek and Open Philanthropy Project.
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