McDonald’s tests plant-based burger in Canada

Par: Joanna Fantozzi | Sep 26, 2019 (National Restaurant News)

McDonald’s is finally jumping on the meatless burger bandwagon with the introduction of its first plant-based burger: The “P.L.T.,” or “Plant, Lettuce and Tomato” made with a Beyond Meat patty. The P.L.T. will be offered as part of a 12-week test in select regions in Canada.

“McDonald’s has a proud legacy of fun, delicious and craveable food—and now, we’re extending that to a test of a juicy, plant-based burger,” said Ann Wahlgren, McDonald’s Vice President of Global Menu Strategy in a press statement. “We’ve been working on our recipe and now we’re ready to hear feedback from our customers.”

Starting Sept. 30, the P.L.T. will be available at 28 restaurants in Southwestern Ontario for $6.49 CAD.

McDonald’s had been one of the few quick-service chain holdouts that had not taken advantage of the explosive popularity of the vegan “bleeding meat” burgers that have taken the flexitarian world by storm, including the Burger King Impossible Whopper and Carl’s Jr. Beyond Meat burger.

But even though this burger is only currently available at select McDonald’s Canada locations, it might not stay north of the border for too long:

“During this test, we’re excited to hear what customers love about the P.L.T. to help our global markets better understand what’s best for their customers,” said Wahlgren. “This test allows us to learn more about real-world implications of serving the P.L.T., including customer demand and impact on restaurant operations.”

This is not the first major chain that has brought meatless burgers to Canada: earlier this month, Tim Hortons extended the length of its Beyond Meat breakfast sandwich offering after a positive reaction to what was supposed to be a limited time offer.

Nation’s Restaurant News has reached out to McDonald’s for more information on a further rollout.

McDonald’s has about 14,000 restaurants in the U.S.