Despite the growing competition, McDonald’s is not yet ready to roll out a plant based burger as part of its official menu. The menu director said that while they are exploring meat alternatives, they cannot yet decide whether plant-based meat substitutes will at all be part of the menu.
To make that decision final, the company is assessing consumer demand and needs to be completely sure that the products will be sustainable before rolling out.
Recently, the company has been under pressure to add a vegetarian-friendly burger to its menu as more and more companies are joining the cohort of meat-based plant substitutes. While its German locations sell such burgers, they are yet to figure out at the level of the individual market.
But McDonald’s has been simplifying its menu by removing its line of Signature Crafted sandwiches and burgers and pruning its late-night menu to allow franchisees scale back the all-day breakfast menu.
Rival, Restaurant Brands International’s (QSR) Burger King is going to roll out its Impossible Whopper nationwide by the end of the year — a vegetarian version of their flagship sandwich. To meet the demand of plant-based patty, Impossible Foods is increasing the number of hours and employees working at its plant. Its rival Beyond Meat (BYND) specializing in plant-based meat products have witnessed its sales increase by 229% ever since it went public earlier in May.