Burger King will test out Impossible Whopper nationwide

Apr 30, 2019

By Herb Scribner

Burger King will test out the vegetarian version of the signature Whopper nationally after a limited test earlier this year, CNN reports.

Back in April, Burger King began testing a vegetarian burger using a plant-based patty from Impossible Foods, according to the Deseret News. The test only happened in the St. Louis market and it went really well, according to a spokesman for Restaurant Brands International, which is Burger King’s parent company.

“The Impossible Whopper test in St. Louis went exceedingly well and as a result there are plans to extend testing into additional markets in the very near future,” the company said in a statement, USA Today reports. “Burger King restaurants in St. Louis are showing encouraging results and Impossible Whopper sales are complementing traditional Whopper purchases.”

The spokesperson said that the sales of the Impossible Whopper have been “complementary to the regular Whopper,” according to CNN, which is “exactly what Burger King wants.”

Chris Finazzo, president of Burger King North America, told CNN that Burger King wants to target meat eaters who basically want a better diet.

The burger was made to “give somebody who wants to eat a burger every day, but doesn’t necessarily want to eat beef everyday, permission to come into the restaurants more frequently.”

The Impossible Whopper “is supposed to taste just like Burger King’s regular Whopper,” according to CNN. “Unlike veggie burgers, Impossible burger patties are designed to mimic the look and texture of meat when cooked. The plant protein startup recently revealed a new recipe, designed to look and taste even more like meat. That version is being used in Burger King’s Impossible Whoppers.”

Burger King isn’t alone when it comes to releasing new meals based on vegan and vegetarian options, according to USA Today. For example, Del Taco launched a new Beyond Taco and Beyond Avocado Taco that uses a special new protein. Blaze Pizza added a new vegan Spicy Chorizo, too.