Denny’s to Add Vegan Breakfast Options: Here’s What the Chain Offers Now

Denny’s – one of America’s most reliable and expansive diner chains – just announced that it is exploring more plant-based options. The national 24-hour chain has made substantial strides to include plant-based options compared to its competitors, introducing the Beyond Meat Burger patty two years ago. The Beyond patty included dairy cheese and non-vegan sauce that could be removed to make the menu option fully vegan. The partnership experience widespread positive response, inspiring Denny’s to develop a more encompassing plant-based breakfast for all-Americans.

“Denny’s guests have varied dietary preferences and we’re proud to offer incredible flexibility to accommodate them. For decades, we’ve offered ‘Build-Your-Own’ options and several plant-based items to meet our guests' specific needs,” Denny���s announced on its website. “Denny’s partnered with Beyond Burger almost two years ago to extend these offerings with a high-quality, meatless protein and we are currently exploring additional plant-based protein items that our guests can enjoy during breakfast as well as lunch, dinner, and late-night.”

The diner company’s plant-based shift can be directly attributed to the pressure felt from animal-rights group Mercy for Animals (MFA). The non-profit organization launched its “Champions of Breakfast” campaign in September, petitioning major breakfast restaurant chains to redesign their menus to incorporate more plant-based options.

Several chains including Denny’s serve breakfast all day, making it necessary to improve its plant-based offerings as consumer demand shifts. Currently, Denny’s menu features a majority of animal-based proteins, eggs, and cheese, making it difficult to navigate the menu. MFA aims to motivate the animal-based dominant breakfast chain market, providing accessible vegan options nationwide.

“Denny’s famously serves breakfast all day, so a plant-based entrée on their iconic breakfast menu would significantly increase access to delicious vegan options. Imagine a fully plant-based Grand Slam or maybe a Moons Over My Plant-Based Sammie?” MFA Corporate Partnerships Manager Erin Kwiatkowski told VegNews. “By committing to add a plant-based protein to their breakfast menu, Denny’s is setting a precedent for what people looking for plant-based options should expect from these family dining establishments. We shouldn’t have to settle.”

Beyond Denny’s, the MFA campaign is working to encourage several other national restaurant companies including Cracker Barrel, Waffle House, Black Bear Diner, and Bob Evans. Other than at Denny’s, the initiative found success with Cracker Barrel, which just partnered with Impossible Foods to start testing the plant-based sausage at 50 locations this Fall. MFA intends to make plant-based breakfast available for anyone, serving a variety of dishes and alternatives across the entire restaurant sector.

“I envision a world where vegans can walk into any restaurant and find delicious plant-based breakfast options,” Kwiatkowski said. “More abundant, more accessible plant-based foods make it easier for everyone to leave animals off their plates. Breakfast menus impact so many different types of farmed animals, including chickens, pigs, and cows, so we know that a fight for plant-based breakfast is a fight for the animals.”

The campaign is meant to motivate Denny’s and the other chains to continue the plant-based progress and carry that momentum across the entire menu. To take part in the campaign, consumers can visit MFA’s ChooseVeg website. The campaign is currently collecting signatures and donations to maximize the pressure on these restaurants chains.

For now, Denny’s is relatively vegan-friendly even though the diner chain’s menu still needs plenty of improvement. When visiting a Denny’s, the plant-based menu is hidden within its extensive animal-based product options. However, customers can still navigate the menu to order a fully plant-based diner dish. Below is The Beets quick guide to ordering vegan at Denny’s.

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.