For a limited time starting last day of September, McDonalds is offering a plant-based burger for vegans and vegetarians in select restaurants in Canada.
P.L.T. Burger
The fast-food chain is testing the meatless burger for a potential foray into an industry that rivals Carl's Jr. and Burger King have already ventured into.
McDonald's will start to offer the P.L.T. (plant, lettuce, tomato) burger on Monday, Sep. 30, in 28 restaurants in Southwestern Ontario.
The meatless burgers, made with Beyond Meat plant-based patty, will be available for customers for 12 weeks.
McDonald's is testing the P.L.T. due to a growing interest in plant-based food alternatives. The company said that it formulated the sandwich to mimic the taste of McDonald's regular meat patties.
"Our culinary team created a recipe for a juicy, plant-based burger unique to McDonald's," Ann Wahlgren, McDonald's VP of Global Menu Strategy, wrote in a blog post.
"It starts with a plant-based patty, made by McDonald's, for McDonald's with Beyond Meat, and it's dressed with great-tasting classic toppings and served on a warm, toasted bun."
The sandwich will sell for $6.49 plus tax in Canadian dollars.
Limited Test
As to why the fast-food company is making the burgers available to only a few restaurants and within a limited period, Wahlgren said that the company is in learning mode.
It will use feedback from customers to develop a new menu before it starts to offer meatless burgers on a larger scale. The test in 28 Canadian restaurants, however, is not a guarantee of a nationwide or worldwide rollout of the P.L.T. burger since not all tests result in permanent menu items.
McDonald's restaurants in other countries have nonetheless already launched plant-based meat products. Earlier this year, the company launched Big Vegan made of soy and wheat patty in Germany. It also has vegan items for customers based in Sweden and Finland.
