Go New York, Go New York, Go! An Impossible Foods/Madison Square Garden Collaboration

In its continuing push to ignite a new and growing audience, Impossible Foods has announced a multiyear partnership with Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. and Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. as the Official Plant-Based Burger Partner of Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks, and the New York Rangers. To kick off the collab, Madison Square Garden and Impossible Foods are opening a dedicated concession stand on the sixth-floor concourse called the Impossible® Grille. Beyondish spoke with Impossible Foods about what fans can expect during and after the NBA and NHL seasons, as well as which Impossible® plant-based proteins will be featured on the menu.

Congrats on being named the Official Plant-Based Burger Partner of  The World’s Most Famous Arena, as its loyal (some say crazed) fans know it. How did you pull this off?!

Madison Square Garden approached us with the opportunity to elevate the gastronomy of the arena’s plant-based dining experience. We’ve worked with various other venues before, including a similar years-long partnership with Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, so we were confident that we could deliver the kind of classic, indulgent food fans are looking for when they come to The Garden.

The Impossible Grille concession stand is a classic spin on game-day favorites. What was the thought process behind curating this menu? I can’t eat traditional hot dogs, so the Bánh Mì Hot Dog sounds particularly appealing.

We love putting our signature Impossible spin on classic, nostalgic dishes to serve up something that feels both familiar yet unexpected. Everyone loves a good hot dog, so why not level up our Impossible Hot Dog with different flavors to create something that’s just as delicious but with a culinary-forward twist? The same goes for a dish like the Loaded Impossible Chopped Cheese Fries, which transforms a classic concession side into a crave-worthy main.

Photo: Impossible Foods

Fans can access other Impossible Foods products, including the Impossible Burger, at concession stands and premium hospitality areas throughout MSG. Why expand outside of the Impossible Grille?

While of course we hope guests will want to come straight to the Impossible Grille to experience the full range of Impossible dishes, we wanted to make sure we made plant-based proteins accessible elsewhere in the arena. We’ll have our Impossible Chicken Nuggets at a couple of Chicken & Things stands on the 6th and 10th floors, and Impossible Smashburgers will be on the suite menus.

Beyondish highlights local dishes all across the country, so we try not to be biased. But I’m a die-hard New Yorker, so I’ll proudly say that we have one of the most special sports cultures in the country. How does Impossible Foods hope to tap into that energy moving forward?

New York is one of the world’s epicenters of culture, from entertainment to food to sports. We’ve always been drawn to New York, going all the way back to the debut of the Impossible Burger at Chef David Chang’s Momofuku Nishi in 2016. Ten years later, we’re excited to find new ways to tap into what makes New York such a special place and bring plant-based eating even further into the mainstream. Like you said, New Yorkers love their local teams, so it’s an incredible opportunity to have Impossible Foods in the same space as the Knicks and the Rangers – two legendary teams. Our goal is to complement the already electric, high-energy atmosphere that defines the sporting event experience at The Garden.

This initiative is launching at the start of Earth Month. Sustainability is at the root of Impossible Food’s branding, and you’ll be doing promotions during Knicks and Rangers games. How does Impossible Foods hope to showcase that sustainability and Jalen Brunson three-pointers go hand in hand?

Sustainability is often thought of as a compromise, but we look at it as a way to enhance what you’re already doing. You can go to a basketball game or a hockey game or a concert with your favorite artist, and enjoy a great smashburger that happens to be better for the planet. You’re not thinking about how many trees or how much water you’re saving; you’re thinking about how delicious that burger is. And that’s the point! By the time they’re at the concession stand, we’ve already made the better choice, an easier, delicious choice.

We’re coming up on ten years since the Impossible Burger first launched in 2016. Dietary preferences have naturally evolved, and labels aren’t so strict anymore. What does the future of Impossible Foods look like in this ever-changing food landscape?

Innovation in the plant-based industry has come a long way. Just look at our brand: we started with a burger, and now we have a wide range of plant-based beef, chicken, and pork options. We’re really focusing on making our food feel more approachable, especially to consumers who eat meat. We know we make some of the meatiest and most crave-worthy food out there, so it’s important that people who do eat meat feel comfortable throwing Impossible Foods into the mix every now and then without it feeling like either a compromise or a statement. We want the future of Impossible Foods as a brand to be more inclusive and relatable.

Photo: Impossible Foods

What do Impossible Foods and MSG have in store this summer after the NBA and NHL seasons end?

This is just the start of our partnership with Madison Square Garden. We can’t wait to create more exciting experiences for fans over the coming months. Dishes that will be available at the stand include:

• Impossible® Double Stack Smashburger with two quarter-pound Impossible Burger® patties, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and Rafters Sauce stacked on a sesame seed bun, topped with either plant-based American or cheddar cheese.

• Impossible® Banh Mi Hot Dog featuring a juicy Impossible® Beef Hot Dog, plant-based dijonnaise, pickled daikon, carrot, jalapeño, Persian cucumber, cilantro, Thai basil, and toasted sesame seeds.

• Orange Impossible® Chicken Bowl with tender, chili orange-glazed Impossible Chicken and mixed vegetables, served on top jasmine rice.

• Impossible® Steak Quesadilla stuffed with succulent Impossible® Steak Bites, peppers, onions, plant-based mozzarella, pico de gallo, and chipotle mayo in a flour tortilla, served with plant-based sour cream.
• Loaded Impossible® Chopped Cheese Fries with seasoned Impossible® Beef, onions, plant-based cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, pickled jalapeños, and Rafters Sauce.