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11 | W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,D ecem ber 30,2021 w aterloochronicle.ca A NEWWAY TO STAY CONNECTED TO YOUR COMMUNITY! TRUSTED LOCAL NEWS ACROSS ONTARIO: VISIT communitynews.pressreader.com TODAY! *Your credit card will be charged $19.99 plus tax for an annual upfront subscription plan. At the end of your one-year fixed term, your subscription will automatically renew for an additional one-year fixed term at the prevailing rate plus tax unless you contact us with your cancellation request at least two days prior to the end of your subscription term. Annual upfront subscription plans are not refundable. This subscription plan includes unlimited digital access to all Metroland community newspapers listed at communitynews.pressreader.com. Community newspaper selection is subject to change without notice. You can contact us at the Customer Service Centre by calling 1-833-440-7474 or by email at customersupport@torstar.ca. Once you complete the subscription form, you can sign in to the ePaper from communitynews.pressreader.com. You will need to sign in using the email and password you set up for this subscription. Take advantage of this limited-time introductory offer $1999*FOR A YEAR! Get full access to all our weekly community newspapers online, from one convenient website. Plus, enjoy the enhanced translation feature, which allows you to read stories in several different languages! We've got you covered Our local journalists report on the things that are important to you and your neighbours; whether it's local politics, schools, businesses or upcoming community events--if you're thinking about it, chances are we're writing about it. • Cambridge • Durham • Guelph • Halton • Hamilton • Kawartha • Muskoka • Niagara • Ottawa Valley • Peel • Simcoe County • Toronto • York Region If a beefless spin on the Big Mac doesn't tease your taste buds, you might try the Vopper. Even if you're still reluc- tant or skeptical, a new concept for meat-free fast food is fast making believ- ers out of traditional bur- ger lovers in Waterloo. "Really what it's about is making people feel good about eating fast food and removing that guilt," said James McInnes, who co- founded Odd Burger with his wife Vasiliki in 2017. The vegan chain that's rooted in the couple's homemade recipes expan- ded to Willis Way in late September, and numbers don't lie. The Odd Burger Corpo- ration, the world's first vegan fast-food chain to go public, announced record system-wide sales in Octo- ber of more than $233,000 -- a 41 per cent increase over the previous month, after opening new locations in Vaughan, London, Hamil- ton and Waterloo. The chain had five, fully operational locations in October, plus a sixth loca- tion that opened Oct. 27. The company now expects to have 20 restaurants op- erational by this time next year, with plans to expand to Manhattan. "Taste is always number one," said McInnes. "We al- ways say there's no sacri- fice eating in our restau- rant -- it's about being able to indulge in fast food. "We don't advertise our- selves as healthy food -- we say we are healthier fast food." Advantages of a plant- based diet include no cho- lesterol and less saturated fat without any of the growth hormones found in meat and dairy. Odd Burger manufac- tures 30 plant-based prod- ucts used exclusively by its restaurant chain. "There's a lot more fibre, generally speaking, in all our food," McInnes said. Most Odd Burger pat- ties are made of chick peas, onion and flax. The ChickUn is made from wheat gluten, chick peas and oats. The Sticky Chicken, Cordon Bleu and Buffalo sandwiches come highly recommended, as do the wingalings. Pretend- ers are knock-off on chick- en fingers. Such fare including the fries and onion rings are deep fried using traditional methods. "Not trying to be overly healthy in that regard," said McInnes. "In terms of calories and sodium and that sort of stuff, we're pretty similar to other fast food," he said. "Again, it's part of being in the category: 'It's gotta taste good.' " There are wraps and salads, "but we're not really trying to sell them," McInnes joked. The ice cream and shakes are made from pure coconut milk, and the des- serts don't skip on deca- dence. There are variety of breakfast options as well, such as the Sausage Maple Crunch, that feature tofu instead of egg. The 'bac-un' is made with tempeh, a type of fermented soybean. "Natural products you can feel good about eating," McInnes said. "We find that people who do eat meat want healthier options, but something that is quick and convenient and low cost," he added. "Our main customers are actually meat eaters that are seeking to improve their health and make a more sustainable choice for the environment and, I believe, part of that too is knowing you're not harm- ing any animals. There's something about that where you can just feel a little bit better about mak- ing that choice." Odd Burger is built to be COVID-proof as each loca- tion is designed for deliv- ery and takeout only. "What that does is allows us to keep costs down and compete with bigger chains and have an efficient mod- el," McInnes said. The kitchens are largely automated, with cooking pre-set, allowing for con- sistency and fresh food made to order. "That's sort of the model that we're kind of taking around the world," said McInnes, who said he hopes to expand shortly in the tri-city area. WHAT IS AN ODD BURGER? Odd Burger co-founders James and Vasiliki McInnes. Odd Burger photo BILL JACKSON bjackson@torstar.ca NEWS ODD BURGER ADDRESS: 75 King St. S, Waterloo WEBSITE: oddburger.com PHONE: 519-953-4940