Back in the day, eating vegan or vegetarian at a quick service restaurant was just going for the salad bar. In recent years, technological advances and research have lead to the rise of plant-based proteins made from cells, beans, tofu, and more. Beyond meat and Impossible burgers are becoming staple items.
Fast food chains are getting into the plant-based business with vegan burgers. McDonald’s is testing a new plant-based burger, the McPlant burger, which they created with Beyond meat. As of now, it is only served in Denmark and Sweden, but it is expected to roll out to more countries, including North America.
Starbucks is testing a fully plant-based menu in one of its locations in Seattle. The CEO, Kevin Johnson, described this move as a response to a “dominant shift in consumer behavior” as people are increasingly interested in plant-based eating. Starbucks already offers Impossible sausages at its US locations and plant-based milk. Still, the shift to a whole meat-less menu is a bigger-than-ever step for the company.
In the U.S., 7 in 10 people identify themselves as meat eaters. Only 5% are vegetarians and 3% are vegan. However, sales of plant-based food is rising 2x more than regular options. This suggests even people who eat meat are showing interest in meatless food for health, environmental, and ethical reasons.
As QSRs lean more into plant-based meat, milk, and egg options, vegetarian and vegan diets may become more accessible cost-wise. Fully meatless menus may become the norm, or at least less of an oddity.
References:
Rise of the Plant-Based QSR
https://www.cornellsun.com/article/2021/11/plant-based-eating-is-taking-root-in-the-fast-food-industry
