4 ms·

I grew up hearing that a chicken nugget was filled with a lot of stuff you wouldn't expect it to be filled with. After seeing the 'pink slime' video, I often wo

by gdubs 12y ago

I grew up hearing that a chicken nugget was filled with a lot of stuff you wouldn't expect it to be filled with. After seeing the 'pink slime' video, I often wonder why fast food chains wouldn't just use plant-based alternatives. Surely growing plants is cheaper than raising livestock. And if it's not, than it's at an enormous moral cost in how we treat our livestock. At minimum, it's _crazy_ to me that McDonald's does not have a veggie burger on the menu. Why?

es09 12y ago
McDonald's does have a veggie burger on their menu in most parts of Europe. Could it just be a matter of we-give-what-people-want here?
kmnc 12y ago
I would guess because the veggie burger market is basically nothing and McDonald's does not want the conversation to become "Is McDonald's going healthy?" before they are 100% invested into those new marketing avenues. The reality is the whole "fast food chains going healthy" hype has died down almost completely and those succeeding in fast food now are the gourmet fast food shops that focus on delivering quality food (but definitely not healthy). IMO McDonalds have excelled when it comes to Coffee and marketing the McCafe brand and I don't doubt they could do the same thing with "healthy food choices" I just think the hype around healthy fast food has died for now and McDonalds is not willing to push it until the public demands it again.
- scrollaway 12y ago
  Veggie Burgers are an option at virtually every fast food (including mcdonalds) here in europe -- or at least in France, the UK, Germany, Sweden and Spain; I don't know about any other country.
  - vram22 12y ago
    Also common in India.
- slipjack 12y ago
  Even if there's no big market for fast food veggie burgers, Burger King sells a pretty decent one. Not always on the menu, but I've found them even in rural Alabama.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
Kalium 12y ago
Plant-based alternatives rarely taste the same, feel the same, or sell the same. All critical things.
- VLM 12y ago
  "rarely taste the same, feel the same" That part is OK. I'd be really annoyed if my beef tasted like chicken or vice versa. The problem is finding something quick and cheap that you can slap into a bun in seconds and sell for a couple bucks that tastes good. I don't care if it "kinda sorta tastes like beef sorta" but I want it to taste good. The closest I can think of for vegetarian sandwich off the shelf would be some veggie subs I've eaten at fast food sandwich stores and the closest I can think of in theory would be some kind of marinated veggie kabob turned into a sandwich. The labor costs would be killer. In an alternative direction, I like spinach tamales but I have no idea how to "sandwich-ify it" I want to eat tofu that kinda pretends to be beef about as much as vegetarians want to eat thinly sliced pork ears that pretend to be lettuce. Make it taste good, not taste like a clone.
csixty4 12y ago
Burger King has a burger with a Morningstar patty on the menu. It's pretty good. That & a side of onion rings used to be a monthly treat for me. Not sure how well it sells, but I'm sure McDonald's is aware of it & how (un)successful it's been.

by gdubs 12y ago

es09 12y ago

McDonald's does have a veggie burger on their menu in most parts of Europe. Could it just be a matter of we-give-what-people-want here?

kmnc 12y ago

I would guess because the veggie burger market is basically nothing and McDonald's does not want the conversation to become "Is McDonald's going healthy?" before they are 100% invested into those new marketing avenues. The reality is the whole "fast food chains going healthy" hype has died down almost completely and those succeeding in fast food now are the gourmet fast food shops that focus on delivering quality food (but definitely not healthy). IMO McDonalds have excelled when it comes to Coffee and marketing the McCafe brand and I don't doubt they could do the same thing with "healthy food choices" I just think the hype around healthy fast food has died for now and McDonalds is not willing to push it until the public demands it again.

scrollaway 12y ago
Veggie Burgers are an option at virtually every fast food (including mcdonalds) here in europe -- or at least in France, the UK, Germany, Sweden and Spain; I don't know about any other country.
- vram22 12y ago
  Also common in India.
slipjack 12y ago
Even if there's no big market for fast food veggie burgers, Burger King sells a pretty decent one. Not always on the menu, but I've found them even in rural Alabama.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

Kalium 12y ago

Plant-based alternatives rarely taste the same, feel the same, or sell the same. All critical things.

VLM 12y ago
"rarely taste the same, feel the same" That part is OK. I'd be really annoyed if my beef tasted like chicken or vice versa. The problem is finding something quick and cheap that you can slap into a bun in seconds and sell for a couple bucks that tastes good. I don't care if it "kinda sorta tastes like beef sorta" but I want it to taste good. The closest I can think of for vegetarian sandwich off the shelf would be some veggie subs I've eaten at fast food sandwich stores and the closest I can think of in theory would be some kind of marinated veggie kabob turned into a sandwich. The labor costs would be killer. In an alternative direction, I like spinach tamales but I have no idea how to "sandwich-ify it" I want to eat tofu that kinda pretends to be beef about as much as vegetarians want to eat thinly sliced pork ears that pretend to be lettuce. Make it taste good, not taste like a clone.

csixty4 12y ago

Burger King has a burger with a Morningstar patty on the menu. It's pretty good. That & a side of onion rings used to be a monthly treat for me. Not sure how well it sells, but I'm sure McDonald's is aware of it & how (un)successful it's been.