Restaurant news from throughout Greater Orlando

• The meatless Impossible Burger, the veggie burger that “bleeds,” is now being served at Wahlburgers’ Downtown and Waterford Lakes locations and at Toasted’s Lake Nona and Winter Park stores. The Impossible Burger is different from other veggie patties in that it has a meat-like texture and taste. This beef alternative debuted in 2016 and has slowly been gaining steam around the country.

• The owner of Pom Pom’s Teahouse & Sandwicheria, Pom Moongauklang recently appeared in the “Sandwich Showdown” episode of Guy’s Grocery Games on the Food Network. This food game show is hosted by Guy Fieri and has contestants compete in several challenges using only ingredients found in a supermarket.

• Smaller restaurants in the Downtown area can now obtain liquor licenses thanks  to the Florida Legislature’s passing of House Bill 1447. The new law allows a restaurant to obtain a liquor license if they have at least 1,800 square feet and can seat 80 people at a time. Previously, restaurants needed to measure 2,500 square feet and be able to serve 150 people.

• 4 Rivers Smokehouse created a special sandwich to raise money for the victims of the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Called the “Soaring Eagle,” the sandwich is made with grilled chicken, bacon, provolone, cheese, lettuce, tomato and Alabama White Sauce. It was available at all 4 Rivers locations, but now it’s only being served in Broward County.

• Levy Restaurants, the company behind Disney Springs’ Paddlefish, has invested in “Flippy,” an autonomous one-armed robot that can flip and cook burgers, in addition to other repetitive kitchen tasks.

This article originally appeared in Orlando Family Magazine’s April 2018 issue.