I've eaten several varieties, both from restaurants, and from stores. But do you think if it's labelled 'plant based' on the packaging, that the average consumer walking by is more likely to buy it, as opposed to if it was labelled 'vegetarian'.
Personally I find the taste of meat repulsive ... it's been nearly 50 years. Last time I ate a tofu hot dog (at least 20 years back) I puked it up. My renter, a lifetime vegetarian from India tried some veggie sausage with a friend at a luncheon just last week, and he told me he couldn't stand it. It's not a taste one can get used to easily if you've never had it.
There are so many wonderful tasting things in the plant kingdom, like an enormous variety of spices, for starters.
I'm one of those deplorable vegetarians that does like the flavor of meat, but refrains from eating it for moral/dharmic reasons.
I don't think I'm alone in that basket of deplorables, though. I think there are many that like meat, but are looking for an alternative, either for the reason I am, or because they think that these burgers (and other plant based products such as sausage) are a healthier option. I think the jury is still out on this, but while they contain less fat, they are higher in sodium. But my restaurants are still averaging north of 50 per day 6 weeks from launch.
While I love Indian food, and it's the majority of my diet (paneer dishes, kofta vegetable dumplings dishes, and dosas along with spiced basmati rice for the most part), I do like my fake meat on occasion.
This is what I just picked up at the grocery for dinner tonight
...
Not exactly Impossible or Beyond product, which is made with
heme (at least at Impossible Foods), which was initially supposed to be a synthetic substitute for human blood. But still pretty tasty.
More on heme:
Heme - Wikipedia