Applebees Now Serves Impossible Cheeseburgers at All Locations

With thousands of locations and a reliable, affordable menu, Applebee’s Grill & Bar has won over American consumers, and the company intends to keep its dedicated customer base by expanding its meatless options nationwide. The fast-casual chain announced that it will add an Impossible Cheeseburger to its menus all over the country. By introducing Impossible Foods' signature product, Applebee’s aims to cater to the growing number of plant-based customers.

The Impossible Cheeseburger will feature a meatless burger patty topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and two slices of American cheese. For fully plant-based customers, the Impossible Cheeseburger can be ordered without the dairy-based cheese. The new meatless burger will become Applebee’s first permanent plant-based item.

“We’re always looking to bring options to our menu for our guests who crave variety,” Chief Marketing Officer at Applebee’s Joel Yashinsky said. “With the introduction of the Impossible Cheeseburger, we’re giving our guests more delicious combinations to choose from when dining with us. And whether you’re craving one of our classic fresh, never frozen, Handcrafted Burgers, or the new Impossible Cheeseburger, you can’t go wrong. Come on by - we’ll save you a booth!”

Applebee’s new meatless burger places the fast-casual mainstay in the growing plant-based market that has quickly spread across the entire fast-food industry. Over 36 percent of children and adults in the United States eat fast food at least once a day, according to the Center for Disease Control. With growing plant-based interest and the response from major fast-food and fast-casual companies, the vegan fast food market is expected to reach $40 billion by 2028.

Before the Impossible burger, customers searching for plant-based options at Applebee’s typically needed to settle for the limited side options. But now, alongside the Impossible Cheeseburger, customers can add the Impossible patty to any burger on the menu for a $1.99 upcharge. To double-check what else is vegan at Applebee’s, check out the company’s guide catered to its plant-based clientele.

A plant-based frenzy has taken over the fast-food and fast-casual scene in recent years. Major brands including McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken have introduced plant-based alternatives that mirror signature menu items. The new vegan menu items signify that the American public is hungry for plant-based foods or at the very least feels compelled to try them.

While some people dismiss the plant-based fast-food movement as unhealthy, these chains have significantly helped increase accessibility to plant-based foods. A recent study found that plant-based meat is appearing on foodservice menus 1,320 percent more than before the COVID-19 pandemic, which is a figure that only continues to grow. By providing people with Impossible or Beyond Meat products, these chains have helped make plant-based food both affordable and accessible to everyone.

Other chains such as Burger King continue to push the limits of the food world. Most recently, London’s flagship Burger King rolled out a completely vegan menu for a one-month trial period. The plant-based pop-up is proving that a 100 percent fast-food menu is possible, giving people access to try a sustainable alternative to their favorite indulgent menu items including the Bakon Royale and the Impossible Whopper.

Impossible’s plant-based burger also gives customers a chance to substantially reduce their carbon footprint. When compared to animal-based beef, Impossible’s vegan alternative emits 90 percent fewer greenhouse gases, wastes 85 percent less water, and uses 75 percent less land, making it one of the most sustainable plant-based options available.

Fast-food restaurants have finally got the memo that their customer base isn’t just coming through for a burger, fried chicken, or a beef taco. Many now have plant-based foods and are coming up with creative, delicious ways to get more greens on the menu. Here are the 6 best fast-food chains with plant-based options on the menu.

Turns out there’s a lot more to rely on than a salad if you’re eating plant-based. Burger King has the Impossible Whopper featuring a meatless patty as well as a few secretly vegan options such as the French Toast Sticks and Hashbrowns.

Known for its mini square-shaped sliders, this hamburger chain jumped on the plant-based bandwagon at some participating locations. You can find an Impossible Slider on some White Castle menus.

This was the first national Mexican fast-food chain to offer Beyond Meat at the company’s 580 restaurants across the country. Del Taco has the Beyond Avocado Taco on the menu along with the Epic Beyond Original Mex Burrito and Avocado Veggie Bowl.

Another brand synonymous with beef burgers, Carl’s Jr. offers several plant-based options for veggie and plant lover such as Beyond Famous Star Burger and Guacamole Thickburger.

This fast-food restaurant may have been one of the first you frequented while transitioning to plant-based eating. That’s because Taco Bell has eight million vegetarian combinations and sells 350 million vegetarian items a year through menu substitutions or ordering off their vegetarian menu. In fact, they were the first quick-service restaurant to offer American Vegetarian Association (AVA) certified food options.

From the time it started offering breakfast sandwiches in 2006, the coffee conglomerate became a competitor in the fast-food space. You can get your favorite hot and cold beverages made with almond, coconut or oat milk but there are also plant-based food options available such as the Baja Black Bean Veggie Wrap, bagel with vegan cream cheese and Impossible Breakfast Sandwich.