Globally veganism is becoming more popular since it has been linked to lower obesity rates. However, meat consumption is still the most efficient way to consume calories. In USA, Chick-Fil-A is the nation’s top fast-food restaurant followed by, Taco Bell, Burger King, and Wendy’s. The market for vegan fast foods has not been explored yet. This project will open up that market by introducing our concept ZAXBY’S™. It will be a fast-food restaurant with vegan options which are high in plant-based protein (PBPs). The target market is the USA with locations in major cities.
About Zaxby’s
It was founded in 1990 in Statesboro, Georgia, and is the nation’s top fast-food restaurant followed by, Taco Bell, Burger King, and Wendy’s. Furthermore, ZAXBY’S™ offers made-to-order chicken fingers with nine different sauces such as Xtreme (mild), Buffalo (medium), Nuclear (very hot), Garlic parmesan, Honey BBQ, Sweet and Smoky, Country barbeque (BBQ), Szechuan teriyaki, and Zesty. In addition to chicken fingers, it offers items such as Bone-In wings with a choice of Buffalo or Garlic Parmesan sauce, grilled sandwiches called Max’s Grilled Sandwiches™, salads, and Zappetizers™ which are appetizers.
Currently, there is no fast-food restaurant with vegan options providing high PBP. ZAXBY’S™ will be the first to offer vegan items that meet this criterion. The target market of ZAXBY’S™ is the USA with locations in major cities. It will be open from 11:00 to 22:00 and will offer an affordable menu with a variety of different options along with the option to order online through its website. ZAXBY’S™ will provide nutritional information for all items on its menu.
Read More: Vegan Options at Burger King
Vegan Options at Zaxby’s
Vegan food is very high in plant-based protein (PBPs). The vegan menu is divided into four sections: Entrees, Side Items, Salads, and Drinks. The Entree section currently contains five items but will eventually contain ten items with three new items being added each year of operation after launching the menu.
The first vegan item is ZAX Sweet Potato Fries (Protein $2.99), which are sweet potato fries topped with melted vegan cheese and a choice of dipping sauce. It’s suitable for both children and adults because of its mild flavor. The second vegan item is ZAX Mac-N-Cheese (Protein $4.00) which contains macaroni pasta baked in a three-cheese sauce. Finally, the third vegan item is ZAX Chips & Guac (Protein $3.50) which contains chips and salsa in addition to fresh guacamole with sliced onions.
The Side Items section contains two items: Vegan Cheese Fries (Protein $2.99), which are fries topped with vegan cheese, chili, jalapenos, carrots, and green onions, and Vegan Chili Fries (Protein $2.99), which are fries topped with vegan chili, vegan cheese, jalapenos, carrots, and green onions.
The Salads section contains only one item: ZAX Italian Salad (Protein $5.00) which is a mix of romaine lettuce, cucumbers, sun-dried tomatoes, green peppers, mushrooms, and olives with Italian dressing.
The Drinks section contains seven items: ZAX Raspberry Tea (Protein $1.29), ZAX Diet Raspberry Tea (Protein $1.29), Honest Iced Tazo Green Tea (Protein $1.99), Honest Iced Tazo Green Tea with Lemon (Protein $1.99), Unsweetened Iced Green Tea (Unflavored) (Protein $1.79), Unsweetened Iced Black Coffee (Protein $1.79), and ZAX Raspberry Iced Tea (Protein $2.29).
All ZAXBY’S™ employees attend company-paid training sessions before being able to work with food. All items are made to order at the time of ordering so that they are fresh, hot, and fast. It will use eco-friendly products such as recycled paper and will recycle its oil. ZAXBY’S™ also uses green building construction with renewable resources using solar panels to generate electricity and fuel-efficient windows.
ZAXBY’S™ will be a chain restaurant following the franchise model where an independent operator owns one or more locations in a certain geographical area, eventually growing into multiple chains throughout the nation becoming international. The target market of ZAXBY’S™ is everyone in the USA with locations in major cities. The current forecast for 2023 shows that ZAXBY’S™ will be a successful franchise, and this will increase exponentially year by year following the launch of its vegan menu.
Every Zaxby’s Vegan Option:
- Garden Salad (no cheese)
- Crinkle Fries
- Texas Toast (no butter)
- BBQ sauce
- Lite Vinaigrette salad dressing
- Wimpy
- Tongue Torch
- Nuclear
- Insane
- Sweet & Spicy
- Teriyaki
- BBQ
Must Read: Vegan Options at Cinnabon
So How Does Zaxby’s Look For A Vegan?
This place is a guilty pleasure of mine. I’ve never eaten anything here other than the vegan options, but you will love it. It probably doesn’t help that there isn’t a Zaxby’s near me; plus, if they were open 24 hours like normal restaurants, I would be there every night. One thing to know about Zaxby’s is that they get their chicken from Honey Birdette. The vegan options are not on the regular menu, but you can ask for the “vegan menu”. It takes a little longer to prepare because they have to change gloves and whatnot, but not too long.
Zaxby’s has an amazing vegan menu. You can get just about anything with vegan chicken, fries, and even mac n cheese! Zaxbys isn’t fast food-but you can call ahead if you’re on a time crunch. The prices are pretty reasonable considering the size of the portions!
Frequently Asked Question
Does Zaxby use honey?
No, they do not use any animal by-products at all, including honey.
Are your fries vegan? What about the chicken tenders?
Yes, both are vegan! The crinkle-cut fries are just potatoes and oil; no dairy, no eggs, and the chicken tenders are made out of soy.
Is there a vegan sauce?
Yes! You can get BBQ sauce, Sweet & Spicy Sauce, Tongue Torch®, Zax Sauce®, Nuclear® Sauce, Zaxby’s Dipping Sauce®, Lite Vinaigrette®, and Insane™ Sauce.
Read More: Vegan Options at Jersey Mikes
Conclusion
The future of Zaxby’s™, Inc. is up to the future generations of franchise owners and consumers. It will closely follow the growth of its competitors, Chick-fil-A® and Raising Cane’s®, who both currently have vegan menu items including salads, protein plates with fries or coleslaw, etc.
These restaurants will be the ones to compete with in the future since they are also constantly adding new menu options. Raising Cane’s® has recently added a gluten-free bun option for an additional cost, which can appeal to customers who do not like or cannot eat wheat flour (gluten). Chick-fil-A® offers a falafel salad and has a secret menu that allows customers to “hack” (ex: order) their favorite sandwich with no meat.
Chick-fil-A® is planning on opening its first restaurant in New York City early next year, which can be great competition for Zaxby’s™ if the NYC market cannot adapt to Zaxby’s™ and its prices. The owners of Chick-fil-A® must work closely with the consumers and franchise owners to find out what they like or dislike about their menu so that they can adapt accordingly.
Zaxby’s™ plans for New York City include more restaurants, which will draw more attention to the company. Zaxby’s™ menu is already perfect for any vegetarian or vegan, so it won’t have to change anything for this market.
The risks are very few because there are no competitors in the “fast-casual healthy restaurant” market niche that currently have a vegan option on their menus. Zaxby’s™ can use other restaurants that have vegan menu items as a benchmark for comparison and competition.
The future is very bright for Zaxby’s™, Inc. The new CEO, Zach McLeroy, has already made several changes to this company such as improving the menu and expanding into new markets; it will only get better from here.
