PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Impossible Burger is becoming tougher to find at independent restaurants across Portland.
At least two Portland restaurants confirmed with KOIN 6 News this week that they’re researching alternatives due to supply issues with the plant-based meatless burger.
Impossible Foods said the company has experienced 50% revenue growth since the launch of the Impossible Burger 2.0 in January. The product is now in large restaurant chains like Red Robin and Qdoba, as well as stadiums and college campuses nationwide, the company said. They’re also seeing high sales volume in Asia.
That means some small restaurants here in Portland are left to look elsewhere. The company told KOIN 6 News in a statement:
We recognize the inconvenience that scarcity causes and sincerely apologizes to all customers, particularly those who have come to depend on the additional foot traffic and revenue that the Impossible Burger has generated. In addition, we’ve apologized to consumers who can’t get as many Impossible Burgers as often as they’d like over the next couple weeks. We understand that the Impossible Burger is a unique product that’s impossible to replace. That’s why we’re working literally 24-7 to get stocks of Impossible Burgers to all customers as soon as possible — and we produced an all-time record amount of product in May 2019.
On its website, the company still has listed some of the Portland restaurants that are currently seeking alternatives to the popular burger.
“We are urging consumers to call restaurants in advance to ensure that they still have Impossible Burger in stock, and to inquire when new shipments are expected to arrive,” the company said.
The company noted that they’re increasing manufacturing, adding staff, and getting increased funding.
“The company faces no insurmountable supply-chain constraints or fundamental bottlenecks; like other successful startups, we are facing short-term ramp-up challenges resulting from demand greatly outstripping supply.”