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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI have my doubts about this selling at all...
Burger King and a "veggie burger?"
CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) - A burger chain wants to win over vegetarians.
Yes, Burger King is testing out a spin on its famous Whopper.
The Impossible Burger is plant-based and will be tested out at 59 locations in and around St. Louis.
If all goes well, the veggie burger could be rolled out nationwide.
The chain said the burger-less burger has less calories than the original beef-based burger, its low in cholesterol and has zero trans fat.
No meat will cost you a dollar more than the famed Whopper.
https://www.wbay.com/content/news/Burger-King-tests-out-Impossible-Whopper-508012581.html
msongs
(67,420 posts)True Dough
(17,306 posts)It actually tastes pretty good and seems to be selling well. Burger King is probably wanting to cash in on that market.
applegrove
(118,696 posts)True Dough
(17,306 posts)If they're expanding that line then there must be money in it.
Maru Kitteh
(28,341 posts)smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)I would try somewhere on the west coast or the northeast first. Midwesterners love their meat.
MuseRider
(34,111 posts)will be grateful enough to try it, even if we loathe Burger King. You might be surprised, it is one thing to be ostracized by our peers simply because of food choices but being able to join our meat eating friends would be nice.
We will see. I wonder what it tastes like or feels like. At this point I need it to be different in both taste and feel that meat.
Burger King, blech. All the rest of them blech. Still, I would go and try it.
UniteFightBack
(8,231 posts)Kurt V.
(5,624 posts)unblock
(52,253 posts)of course, they're not trying to convince meat eaters to switch to a veggie burger. how would that help them, anyway.
they're trying to get vegetarians to come, or make the restaurant a viable option for mixed parties that usually avoid such places because there aren't good alternatives for the one vegetarian in the group.
as a pescatarian for about a decade, i don't have great interest in trying to simulate meat, but we have tried the "beyond meat" alternative and the business of faking meat has actually come a long way since the first icky soybean patty.
i'll definitely give the impossible burger a try at some point. i don't expect burger king to be the only place you can get it.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)coasts, I didn't think they were going to get meat eaters to switch. I have traveled to the midwest for business and it has always been extremely difficult to arrange meals for people in our party who are vegetarians or vegans. Sure they can accommodate them, but very uncreatively and blandly. It doesn't seem to be a priority to cater to that demographic out there yet.
unblock
(52,253 posts)They're not primarily looking to rollout menu items only in select regions. They're primarily looking to see if somethin can be rolled out nationwide.
That's why they test market mostly in places like St. Louis, Phoenix, and Columbus.
customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)That would give them skewed results for bringing it to the rest of the country.
Test markets ideally are in a metropolitan area that is isolated hours away from the next major metro market. With St. Louis, the closest other metro area is Kansas City, clear across the other side of Missouri. Chicago is even further away.
If this won't sell in a place famous for its barbecue, surrounded by pork, chicken, and cattle country, then it won't sell anywhere besides the bluest part of blue state markets. BK doesn't want to make that mistake. Clearly, they're not willing to subsidize it by eating the extra dollar that the plant-based burger costs.
Here's my question: Will there be a separate broiler for the new burger? Would vegetarians and/or vegans want a plant-based burger that has picked up some animal fat from the previous meat on the broiler?
hlthe2b
(102,292 posts)and its development was crowd-funded I'm pretty sure, based on initial good results. It supposedly is very similar to meat in that it has "juices".
I've not tried it, but I would... Red Robin and some other restaurants apparently already serve it.
Here's a website that tells more:
https://impossiblefoods.com/
I think the extra $1 they intend to charge may be the "deal-breaker" though, even if it is good.
Quixote1818
(28,946 posts)I like most veggie burgers.
Zoonart
(11,869 posts)Vegetarians do not want it to taste like meat or mimic meat or have meat like juices.
hlthe2b
(102,292 posts)and I doubt all vegetarians will have an issue with juice that clearly is not from actual flesh. I've eaten my share of dry, dry, dry, dry, sawdust-like veggie burgers. I think a lot of us have and found them "wanting".
Zoonart
(11,869 posts)I've had my share of sawdust burgers too.
.
MuseRider
(34,111 posts)I have adjusted to that. I think I would be a little sick if they were juicy and chewy.
Zoonart
(11,869 posts)but Burger King has sold a vege burgers for many years. While I would not seek it out, it practically saved my life over the years I had to travel for hours on the highways to visit my parents in nursing care.
hlthe2b
(102,292 posts)Quixote1818
(28,946 posts)from time to time for something different and healthy.
CentralMass
(15,265 posts)and grab one once in awhile.
I've also tried Carl's Jr's Beyond Famous Star Burger that has a Beyond burger instead of beef. Again, it's not bad.
WhiskeyGrinder
(22,357 posts)ProfessorGAC
(65,076 posts)A company called Impossible Foods makes them from wheat, soy and been.
The been is some sort of plant root that is really juicy, "bleeds" red, and has a taste that really resembles beef.
Found by this company around 4 years ago, but Impossible has been around 8 years.
I know I'll try one, just to see!
UniteFightBack
(8,231 posts)ProfessorGAC
(65,076 posts)Right after I posted.
It's the been.
It's a root vegetable so it might be related to beets.
But, he said he uses it in a lot of vegetarian dishes.
He encouraged people to try it because it has the density of meat and tastes like beef.
Check out Impossible Foods website.
Pretty interesting.
UniteFightBack
(8,231 posts)ProfessorGAC
(65,076 posts)The veggie used is heem!
doc03
(35,348 posts)called it the McLean.
unblock
(52,253 posts)doc03
(35,348 posts)lunatica
(53,410 posts)Even as a kid I wished there was meat flavored gum. Id chew it all the time.
blm
(113,065 posts)I hear the burger is the only vegan burger that ranked in the countrys top ten burgers.
UniteFightBack
(8,231 posts)DFW
(54,408 posts)A burger with a thick slice of fresh eggplant that had been lightly soaked in olive oil, and then grilled with a big generous spoonful of Brinjal Pickle in it.
Moist, spicy, I would probably order three per visit, and not leave a crumb even if I weren't hungry. Fortunately, my wife makes them here, so I don't go wanting. Probably no one in the west would go within ten feet of one, but I could survive on them.
Celerity
(43,416 posts)customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)Is the "burger" in that picture cooked or raw? It looks raw.
Celerity
(43,416 posts)Wounded Bear
(58,670 posts)Haven't in years, except maybe a couple of times when I had no choice.
Even if I do end up in a fast food joint, I tend to avoid the burgers.
dawg day
(7,947 posts)It did "feel" like a burger. It tasted like worcestershire sauce-- reminded me of how my mum would put that into ground beef with oats soaked in milk-- to stretch it to make it fit the family. That is, the impossible burger tastes like its seasoning. But it does really "bite" like ground beef. Impressive.
UniteFightBack
(8,231 posts)the fixins will save it.
UniteFightBack
(8,231 posts)more mainstream every day....have you not noticed? Just go look in your dairy aisle at all the "milks"...ANYWAY.....Impossible Burger is supposed to be pretty damn good and with all the fixin's it's going to be great. Once in awhile I crave a fast food burger so I'm really looking forward to trying this.
Kablooie
(18,634 posts)The chain Fatburger has them. It was charred on the outside, moist and slightly pink on the inside. I couldn't tell it wasn't a real hamburger except it was slightly dryer than regular fatburger patties. (They use high quality fresh beef) I would order it again if it was cheaper. It's almost twice a expensive as the regular burger.
3catwoman3
(24,007 posts)...black bean burger from Costco. I find them delicious - add the usual burger toppings of ketchup, stone ground mustard, purple onion and dill pickle slices, and I don't miss "real" burgers one bit.