The UK Just Got The First-Ever Vegan Burger King Location
What was once unthinkable for many has actually happened. Burger King has opened a fully vegan location in London's Leicester Square. Well, more accurately, the company has decided to run the pre-existing franchise as a purely vegan restaurant for about one month, starting from March 14 and ending on April 10.
Burger King informed Plant Based News that if the concept goes down well, they would consider expanding the idea to include multiple, permanent locations. The trial, they explained in a statement, is born from their "target of a 50 percent meat-free menu by 2030," and their menu will feature a plant-based Whopper, a plant-based Cheeeze Whopper, and a plant-based Cheeeze & Bakon Whopper. The location will also serve plant-based nuggets, vegan Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and a vegan Katsu Royale.
Previously, Burger King ran a meatless location in Cologne, Germany. However, as Veg News noted, the option of dairy appeared to remain. This time, the fast food industry marks a milestone by not including any animal products among its menu items.
Reviews are in
News moves fast so a review of the new vegan Burger King is already in.
The Mirror tried various items from the menu, finding all they shared to be quite appetizing. "I am stunned by the revelation that vegan cheese can be melty, delicious and have a consistency that doesn't leave me wanting to vomit," Rosaleen Fenton, the paper's Deputy Features Editor, commented after eating the Chilli Cheeeze Bites. "These are a total triumph." The rest of the item coverage reads the same — with genuine pleasure and surprise that a menu that so heavily relied on cheese and meat could find an appetizing alternative.
More importantly, though, one vegan said, "The fact it's all meat-free, that's really reassuring as you know it won't be contaminated." Such worries of contamination led one vegan to sue Burger King for cooking his Impossible Whopper on the same grill as a beef patty. For some in the vegan community, this is as bad as eating meat. So, if Burger King can cater to the need for a plant-based kitchen, then they will tap into the vegan market that so many fast food companies have been pursuing.