Coqfighter to launch vegan fast food concept
Opening within Boxpark Shoreditch, Mercy Burger will serve a 100% plant-based menu of smashed patty cheeseburgers; fried chick'n sandwiches; as well as a selection of sides, and milkshakes.
Following the launch of smashed-patty burger brand Goodburger in April, it will be Coqfighter's second sister concept to come to market since the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The group was founded by Australian born friends Troy Sawyer, Deacon Rose and Tristan Clough in 2014, with Coqfighter currently operating Boxpark sites in Shoreditch and Croydon, as well as bricks and mortar restaurants in Soho and Brockley
Around the time Goodburger was launched, Rose told BigHospitality that Coqfighter's ambition was always to be a multi-concept restaurant company.
“Coqfighter was the first, but we are always developing ideas for brands and menus and this current situation has allowed us to bring some of those launches forward,” he said.
According to Rose, the creation of Mercy Burger has been inspired by the success of Coqfighter's own vegan menu.
"We launched our vegan range at Coqfighter in early 2019 and its popularity has gone beyond our wildest dreams, so it felt like the right time to give it more energy and a new identity," he tells BigHospitality.
"This isn’t vegan food just for vegans, it’s vegan food for everyone.
"We set out to prove that fast food staples can taste just as good and be just as indulgent when they are plant-based.
"Whether someone is vegan, looking to reduce their meat consumption, or just curious, we want Mercy Burger to be their guilt-free burger restaurant of choice."
The UK's plant-based burger market has snowballed in the last year or so, particularly in the capital.
Earlier this year, Halo Burger opened its first bricks and mortar site in Shoreditch, having previously operated solely out of a shipping container kitchen in POP Brixton. At the time founder Ross Forder said his plan was to eventually expand the concept across the UK.
Meanwhile, the Lewis Hamilton-backed Neat Burger made its debut in Mayfair last September, with its founders saying they hope to establish more than 100 sites internationally in the next five years.
