Meatless Options Grow at Major Fast Food Chains

After a successful month long test run at 59 restaurants around the St. Louis area, Burger King recently announced plans to offer Impossible Whoppers at all 7,300 U.S. locations by the end of 2019. The Impossible Whopper is made with a vegetarian patty from Impossible Foods, a California-based company that develops plant-based alternatives for meat. White Castle also offers meatless sliders using patties from Impossible Foods.
In January, Carl’s Jr. began offering plant-based patties from Beyond Meat, which manufactures a variety of plant protein-based food products. Earlier this spring, Taco Bell began testing meatless versions of some of its classics, such as a Vegetarian Crunchwrap Supreme and a Vegetarian Quesarito. Since 2018 Chipotle has offered several vegan and vegetarian entrees. Meat free options seem to be the latest trend with fast food. Customer interest in vegetarian meat products has grown rapidly as the products have improved. Today’s meat-like substitutes often offer the same sensory experience as the real thing.
Some of the meat-less fast food options aren’t any more healthy than their meat filled counterparts and fast food company aren’t necessarily marketing them as so. However, brands are responding to a variety of reasons of why some consumers prefer meat free meals. According to a study by the Johns Hopkins Center two-thirds of U.S. consumers say they are trying to reduce meat in their diets.
While fast food giant McDonald’s hasn’t yet hopped on the meatless band wagon in America, they recently released a vegan burger called the Big Vegan TS in Germany. Also, they are keeping a close eye on how the meatless options are working out for their competitors. Many companies aren’t tied to any particular ideology when it comes to offering meatless items on their menus. They just see it as offering the customer more options to chose from. Options are a hallmark of today’s food service industry. Both in entree and purchasing of food, customers want and expect options.
Sintel Systems is a global leader in omni channel solutions for the food industry. Our Direct-to-POS online ordering platform was specifically designed for restaurants. This system allows restaurants of all sorts to have a custom, secure website and mobile app to support customer ability for placing orders on the go. Through our omni channel approach, customers can order with an employee using a hand held device at busy drive thrus, order from a kiosk, order from their phone or order from a computer. If they prefer, they can even order inside the restaurant from staff at the counter. All transactions from devices are seamlessly sent to the kitchen display system (KDS) so that kitchen staff is always in the loop.
Sintel Systems has a deep commitment to providing the restaurant industry with user friendly, effective POS solutions that promote order accuracy and customer engagement. Learn more about True Omni Channel POS here.