# Meat-Free Fast Food Chains ZenBurger Lets Vegetarians Eat on the Run Too By Danielle Levy | Published 2009-02-11 | Eco Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vegetarian-fast-food-zenburger References: [springwise](http://www.springwise.com/food_beverage/meatless_fastfood_chain/) & [zenburger](http://www.zenburger.com/) A new [veggie-fast food chain](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/aw-plantbased-burger) Zen Burger that has set-up shop in Manhattan and LA, has got people talking! It is changing the fast food industry by serving natural, wholesome vegetarian fast-food, without the negative effects that meat has on your health and the environment. The menu includes the ZenSausage breakfast sandwich, ZenBeef burgers, crispy ZenChicken sandwich, ZenTuna sandwich, ZenHot Dog, ZenChicken tenders and ZenShrimp which all use ‘mock meat’. Organic salads, [non-dairy ice cream](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/burger-lounge-x-klimon), green tea milk shakes, organic teas and coffees, natural sodas are also offered. The company was started by James Tu, the proud owner of one of the best NY restaurants Zen Palate. A line of fro-Zen foods are also in the works, which will be distributed through natural-food markets like [Whole Foods](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dr-praegers-grillhouse-burger). I can’t wait to get my veggie-burger on when I visit NYC in March! NY: 465 Lexington Ave. LA: 7950 Sunset ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.7/10 - Popularity: 47% | Activity: 87% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Eco](https://www.trendhunter.com/eco) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Vegetarian Fast-food:** The rise of vegetarian fast-food chains like ZenBurger creates disruptive innovation opportunities for the food industry to cater to the increasing demand for plant-based options. - **Mock Meat:** The trend towards using mock meats in fast-food menus as seen with ZenBurger presents opportunities to create innovative plant-based meat alternatives in the food industry. - **Fro-zen Foods:** The development of ZenBurger's upcoming line of fro-zen foods distributed through natural-food markets offers an innovative opportunity for the food industry to provide convenient, healthy options for consumers. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Fast-food Industry:** The increase in popularity of vegetarian fast-food chains like ZenBurger presents a disruptive innovation opportunity for the fast-food industry to adapt and cater to changing consumer preferences for plant-based options. - **Food Retail Industry:** The development of ZenBurger's fro-zen food line and its distribution through natural-food markets offers a disruptive innovation opportunity for the food retail industry to provide more healthy and convenient products for consumers. - **Plant-based Meat Industry:** The trend towards using mock meats in fast-food menus as seen with ZenBurger presents a disruptive innovation opportunity for the plant-based meat industry to improve the taste and texture of alternative meat products and cater to growing demand from consumers. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Alternative Protein Restaurants](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/neat-burger-2.md) - [Nostalgic Vegan Fast Food](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mr-charlies.md) - [Crispy-Fried Zucchini Burgers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/zucchini-star.md) - [Vegetarian Peppercorn Oil Burgers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bingz-healthy-veggie.md) - [Mushroom-Based Restaurant Burgers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-beef-free-boy.md) - [Minimal-Ingredient Vegan Proteins](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/preposterous-foods.md) - [Plant-Based QSR Collections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/shake-shack-5.md) - [Crispy Vegan Fish Burgers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vegan-fish-burger.md) - [Plant-Based Chicken Offerings](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fuddruckers.md)