News

Arby's boasts the merits of its strictly not-for-sale 'Marrot'

June 27, 2019

Calling itself a brand that has "made its name by going against the norm," Arby's this week is bucking the plant-based eating trend that's sweeping all sectors of the food economy with a campaign to make plants out of meat instead of the opposite. 

As most know, plant-based eating has become a trend as consumers try to eat more sustainably with an eye toward preserving planet resources, which are heavily taxed by the raising of livestock for meat consumption. But the QSR known for dabbling in every type of meat from venison to duck is bypassing that end of the argument and instead driving home its beefy image creating what it calls an entirely new food category: "Meat Vegetables" or "Megetables."

"Plant-based meats are the latest incarnation of making vegetables look like what Americans really want, which is great, tasty meat," Arby's CMO Jim Taylor, said in a news release about the campaign. "Universally, people know we're supposed to eat vegetables every day. But 90 percent of American's don't eat the recommended amount. So, we said if others can make meat out of vegetables, why can't we make vegetables out of meat?"

The brand said it turned to its in-house culinary expert, Vice President of Culinary Innovation and Brand Executive Chef Neville Craw, to create what it dubbed the "first Megetable."

"We kicked around some ideas and landed on creating the first-ever meat carrot, or Marrot," Neville said in the release. 

The marrot — which will not be available for purchase at the fast food brand — is made of turkey breast formed into the shape of a carrot, prepared sous vide and rolled in a marinade and a brûlée with maple syrup powder, the brand said, before being oven-roasted. 

The brand said it is exploring other "Megetables," which also won't be offered to guests but have earned the brand lots of chuckles and meaty appreciation, mostly from the carnivores in the crowd. 

Photo: Arby's