According to Burger King CEO Jose Cil the fast-food company is “all in” on getting many more plant-based vegan options on their menus nationwide.
The Impossible Whopper from Impossible Foods has been the most successful launch of any new food item in Burger King’s history and the company isn’t forgetting that any time soon.
Initially, the Impossible Whopper was tested at 59 St. Louis Missouri locations last April. It sold out within mere days prompting the company to fast track the product to a nationwide launch.
In August of last year, the Impossible Whopper launched at more than 7,200 locations across the United States. A wide-reaching advertising campaign for the plant-based vegan burger from Impossible Foods was also launched.
The Impossible Whopper has since become a permanent part of Burger King’s menu that is here to stay. Burger King has even begun using the Impossible Foods burger in other parts of their menu including in kids meals, as part of classic cheeseburgers and downsized Jr. Whoppers.
“I think it’s just the beginning. It’s a brand new category, it’s a category we are leading not just in the U.S. but globally,” Cil told Yahoo Finance.
“And we think there is a lot of work to do still in terms of raising awareness, what are the benefits of it, and then being able to offer some different products as well as occasions so that the consumer could expand their knowledge of the product. We are all in.”
In addition to all of that Burger Kings has just recently added the Impossible Whopper to its “two for $6” promotional deal alongside many other classic menu options.
Unfortunately many in the anti-vegan mainstream saw this move as the Impossible Whopper no longer selling well but nothing could be further from the truth as Cil goes on to explain that the Impossible Whopper was discounted to see if continuing to explore plant-based vegan options was viable for the company.
“We felt introducing it in the two for $6 gave us the opportunity to make it accessible to a broader group of consumers,” Cil said. “That overtime will help us build on plant-based as a core element of our business long-term.”
The newest partnership between Impossible Foods and Burger King has been the new “Impossible Croissan’wich”. This breakfast sandwich uses the new Impossible Foods plant-based vegan Impossible Pork that was recently debuted at a trade show in January.
The new breakfast sandwich is available at 139 select test locations across the United States but plan on seeing it nationally soon enough.
Vegan News 