Burger King’s test of a vegan version of the Whopper has been such a success that the burger chain is going to introduce it to menus across the USA this year. The trial, which took place from 1st April in St Louis USA, used the Impossible patty and was marketed as the Impossible Whopper.
A spokesperson for Burger King’s parent company, Restaurant Brands International, said: “The Impossible Whopper test in St. Louis went exceedingly well and as a result there are plans to extend testing into additional markets in the very near future.”
The representative added that the “Impossible Whopper sales are complementing traditional Whopper purchases,” demonstrating that the brand is targeting meat-eaters who are becoming more conscious of their choices and are looking to reduce their meat intake, rather than aiming for vegans as a target consumer group.
Chris Finazzo, president of Burger King North America, told CNN last month that The Impossible Whopper is designed to “give somebody who wants to eat a burger every day, but doesn’t necessarily want to eat beef everyday, permission to come into the restaurants more frequently.”
The Impossible Whopper will be available in all of BK’s 7,200 branches across the US by the end of this year. This follows news from other mainstream fast food outlets such as McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Panda Express, Chipotle, and Subway, who have each recently introduced vegan options to keep up with the growing demand.