Burger King Tests Two Meat-Free Locations. Here’s Where

Burger King may be the most unexpected candidate to lead the major fast-food corporations into a new era of plant-based restaurants. The burger chain has hosted several temporary plant-based pop-up menus, and now, Burger King is expanding this plant-based concept to Switzerland. Two locations in Basel and Geneva will deliver a fully-vegan and vegetarian selection until June 23.

Partnering with The Vegetarian Butcher, Burger King’s vegan and vegetarian menu will feature 14 plant-based options including the Long Vegetal, Veggie Whopper, Veggie Nuggets, and several new Cajun-style offerings. For the temporary plant-based concept, Burger King will provide meatless iterations of some of its fan-favorite menu items. The concept will test the market for plant-based interest in Switzerland, similar to its partnerships in Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

“Due to popular demand, the fully vegetarian Burger King restaurants have now landed in Switzerland! And this time, we even opened TWO of them! After Cologne, Madrid, and London, Burger King puts our ‘new meat’ on the menu in two of their Basel and Geneva stores,” The Vegetarian Butcher posted on social media.

“Reaching as many meat lovers as possible, that’s what it’s all about for The Vegetarian Butcher. Until the 23rd of June, for ten days only, Swiss meat lovers will be spoiled for choice. With 14 products on the menu starring our plant-based meat and the nationwide launch of the delicious Cajun Veggie and Long Cajun Veggie, there are even more reasons to #SacrificeNothing.”

The two Swiss locations will also offer customers dairy-free Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream. The meat-free stores aim to lower their environmental impact, claiming that the plant-based patties emit 90 percent less CO2 emissions than traditional animal-based burgers. The company revealed that these new locations can be attributed to consumer demand and the rise of plant-based interest.

“These details might not make your mouth water, but we’re convinced food tastes better when you eat with a clean conscience,” Burger King writes “So whatever your reason is for going plant-based, Burger King has got you covered.”

Last June, Burger King launched its first vegan Burger King for four days – testing out new plant-based options with a brand new vegan mayo. The vegan storefront was located in Cologne, Germany, receiving positive customer reviews and encouraging the fast-food chain to continue working on its sustainable menu.

Then in October, The Vegetarian Butcher helped Burger King Spain open its Vurger King location. This vegetarian restaurant served the Long Vegetal (a meatless variation of the chain’s signature Long Chicken Sandwich) and its plant-based Whopper. The storefront only lasted a month but served as the foundation for its plant-based concept’s expansion.

Before the launch in Switzerland, Burger King debuted a plant-based menu at its London Flagship location, introducing 15 new vegan meal options. The London menu featured vegan versions of the Royale, Bakon Double Cheeze, and even the Katsu Royale. This vegan storefront is the first major step to reaching Burger King UK’s goal of transitioning to a 50 percent plant-based menu.

Burger King’s plant-based campaign is fueling the greater vegan fast-food market, projected to reach $40 billion by 2028. More than ever, consumers worldwide are interested in more affordable plant-based options. Burger King’s sustainability mission incited a movement that is spreading across the fast-food industry, leading to McDonald’s McPlant.

Several local vegan burger chains have thrown their names into the ring. Two California chains (or soon-to-be chains), Noomo and Plant Power Fast Food, have announced their aims to enter the national marketplace. Plant Power Fast Food has already opened its 11th location whereas Noomo just revealed it partnered with franchising firm Fansmart to begin its national expansion. Soon, customers worldwide will not have to search for affordable and tasty vegan options.

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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.