The McPlant

[little bongo]

They don't knock it out of the park every time. There was that burger in the styrofoam container where the toppings stayed cool but the burger stayed hot...?

And there was a more "adult" menu for a while, brought to commercial life by Ronald McDonald strolling over the golf course with a few friends (not sure if the Hamburglar was there or not).

[Parasaurolophus]

Come to think of it, McD's is the worst fast food joint out there-- virtually nothing they serve tastes good.

Well, that's the issue, really. I'm sure it'll taste just fine, especially compared to the rest of the menu.

Frankly, after years of veggie patties, I now think meat patties are pretty crap. At most (real-not-fast-food) restaurants with a burger, the veggie burger far outperforms the meat burgers. Sometimes you get a real dud that doesn't hold together, but that's actually relatively rare.

[mythbuster]

FYI for those who don't know. Both the Impossible and the Beyond Burgers are brand name products from startups. Their goal is to provide a plant based alternative for those who like meat. Why? To decrease unsustainable meat farming globally.

So the appropriate point of comparison is to compare these to a normal Big Mac/Whopper etc, rather than to compare it with a "veggie burger" patty. The target market is the usual burger eater, not really the vegetarians. The Impossible burger goes so far as to contain yeast engineered to express plant heme, which gives it the red color, and red "juice".  This is why I don't like them, as they have the texture and look of a greatly under-cooked hamburger IMO.

Our local hamburger place has a great tasting veggie patty burger. I order it often, with bacon.

[apl68]

Next thing you know, Taco Bell will be advertising a taco with no beef.  And people all over the country will be saying "Since when did Taco Bell have anything to do with beef?"

[Puget]

FYI for those who don't know. Both the Impossible and the Beyond Burgers are brand name products from startups. Their goal is to provide a plant based alternative for those who like meat. Why? To decrease unsustainable meat farming globally.

So the appropriate point of comparison is to compare these to a normal Big Mac/Whopper etc, rather than to compare it with a "veggie burger" patty. The target market is the usual burger eater, not really the vegetarians. The Impossible burger goes so far as to contain yeast engineered to express plant heme, which gives it the red color, and red "juice".  This is why I don't like them, as they have the texture and look of a greatly under-cooked hamburger IMO.

Our local hamburger place has a great tasting veggie patty burger. I order it often, with bacon.

As a life-long vegetarian I can confirm I'm not the target audience for these burgers, which really creep me out with how much they look and smell like meat (having no basis of comparison I can't say how much they taste like meat). I much prefer veggie burgers that are just delicious in themselves and not trying to emulate meat. But, most people will continue eating meat, and anything that reduces that to a more sustainable level is a good thing, so if meat-eaters like these burgers I'm all for them.

If you're in a part of the country with Smashburger, try their black bean burger -- it's really good, especially with the sweat potato fries.

[kaysixteen]

Even the most committed life-long vegans would have to ask the key question--- why would you think anything at McDs is likely to be of decent quality, however much you value the fact that they are trying to serve your demographic.

[Aster]

I'm eating this.  Ha ha.

[little bongo]

FYI for those who don't know. Both the Impossible and the Beyond Burgers are brand name products from startups. Their goal is to provide a plant based alternative for those who like meat. Why? To decrease unsustainable meat farming globally.

So the appropriate point of comparison is to compare these to a normal Big Mac/Whopper etc, rather than to compare it with a "veggie burger" patty. The target market is the usual burger eater, not really the vegetarians. The Impossible burger goes so far as to contain yeast engineered to express plant heme, which gives it the red color, and red "juice".  This is why I don't like them, as they have the texture and look of a greatly under-cooked hamburger IMO.

Our local hamburger place has a great tasting veggie patty burger. I order it often, with bacon.

As a life-long vegetarian I can confirm I'm not the target audience for these burgers, which really creep me out with how much they look and smell like meat (having no basis of comparison I can't say how much they taste like meat). I much prefer veggie burgers that are just delicious in themselves and not trying to emulate meat. But, most people will continue eating meat, and anything that reduces that to a more sustainable level is a good thing, so if meat-eaters like these burgers I'm all for them.

If you're in a part of the country with Smashburger, try their black bean burger -- it's really good, especially with the sweat potato fries.

Could I get that with perspiration tater tots instead?

[uni_cyclist]

I used to make a habit of eating whatever specialty burger/sandwich McDonald's offered in whichever country I was visiting. This was back in the good ol' days, when travel was still a thing. Anyway, I know that on Dutch McDonald's menus, there were three or four vegetarian burgers, mostly faux chicken / soy, if I recall correctly. Twenty years ago, Austrian McDonald's menus offered a veggie burger that had peas, corn, and beans.

I'm vegetarian and on occasion I'll cook fake meat, mostly chickenless nuggets. I see it as an admittedly unhealthy convenience food for when I don't feel like actually cooking. I tried an Impossible Burger once and it was too meatlike for my tastes, but I can see how omnivores might enjoy it. I'll probably skip the McPlant.

[Anselm]

The rumor was that a big chain like BK had a veggie burger for many years but hid it from the main menu due to pressure from the beef industry. 

I tried some sample from Beyond Meat and spit the stuff out.  It tasted like cardboard.   I have had good veggie burgers but they were at restaurants that specialized in vegetarian  food and knew what they were doing.   I can't for the life of me understand why McDonald's is so popular. 

McPlant does sound dumb.  Will it come with McFries and a Coke?

[downer]

The rumor was that a big chain like BK had a veggie burger for many years but hid it from the main menu due to pressure from the beef industry. 

I tried some sample from Beyond Meat and spit the stuff out.  It tasted like cardboard.   I have had good veggie burgers but they were at restaurants that specialized in vegetarian  food and knew what they were doing.   I can't for the life of me understand why McDonald's is so popular. 

McPlant does sound dumb.  Will it come with McFries and a Coke?

McFries are not vegetarian. They are flavored with beef.

I haven't eaten at McDs for about 20 years I think. I avoid most chains because while convenient, they put more interesting places out of business. And the burger industry is just part of the meat industry, which is evil, to be simple about it.

I can't say I'm a huge fan of all the new "realistic" burgers. Very fatty and processed. They are interesting because of the threat they pose for the meat industry.

[Cheerful]

Burger King's Impossible Whopper is reportedly cooked on the same grill as their beef offerings.  This seems like a problem.  You can request that it be cooked separately.  That doesn't sound like fast food.  Raise your hand if you've had the joy of being told to pull over and wait (and wait....) in a fast food drive through.

When on a road trip hungry and fast food is all that's available, well, fast food it is.  Too bad the quality has declined so much from the good ol' days.

[mamselle]

I'd be curious to find out how McDo's in France is handling this.

In other cases I heard of, they had to adjust both their customer service expectations and their menus to get a foothold there.

The one upstairs near the Grenouille Metro station in the Paris 7th. was always full of kids when I went there; the one near the train station in Strasbourg not so much--or only on weekday lunchtimes.

Veg/veganism is huge among the younger population, though, so it might take (they might also be making a better product out of necessity.

M.

[Kron3007]

For everyone who says McDonalds all tastes like garbage, millions of people disagree. 

The meatless burgers meant to taste like beef are interesting, but they are too meaty for some vegetarians yet not meaty enough for most omnivores.  The beyond meat sausage patty is the one exception IMO, they are a pretty good facsimile of a real sausage patty.  I know many here will say they wouldn't touch one with a ten foot pole, but despite how horrible they are, they are delicious.

I saw a new company recently that is making fake milk by producing milk proteins in yeast (or something similar).  I think this is particularly interesting as alternative milks are ok, but no replacement for cow milk.  This is especially true for yogurts, cheeses, etc.   

[kaysixteen]

You are right, millions of folks eagerly hit the Golden Arches daily.

So why do we think this is?