One of the world’s most recognizable restaurant brands will enter the meatless burger market next year.
On Monday, McDonald’s confirmed with USA Today it is testing the McPlant in 2021. The fast-food giant also said it will launch a new crispy chicken sandwich, a menu item that could rekindle the chicken sandwich war.
The announcements came during the company’s virtual investor update Monday.
“McPlant is crafted exclusively for McDonald’s, by McDonald’s,” Ian Borden, McDonald’s international president, said, as reported by CNBC. “In the future, McPlant could extend across a line of plant-based products including burgers, chicken-substitutes and breakfast sandwiches.”
The new items are part of the company’s growth strategy called “Accelerating the Arches.”
In some McDonald’s around the world — including Germany, the UK, Hong Kong, Israel, Canada and Finland — the company offers a vegetarian sandwich option.
But compared with some other fast-food chains in the U.S., McDonald’s has been falling behind, according to TechCrunch. Burger King has worked with Impossible Foods to launch the Impossible Whopper, and Beyond Meat has partnered with KFC on a plant-based nugget.
McDonald’s recently announced the return of its classic McRib, which hasn’t been on its nationwide menu since 2012.
Inviting the popular menu item back denotes the restaurant chain’s return to many of its locations reopening after having to close due to the coronavirus outbreak. McDonald’s has faced the challenging economic uncertainty that dozens of other food industry giants endured during the last seven months.
Despite that, the popular restaurant chain has introduced a number of new options, including ones involving celebrities. A partnership with rapper Travis Scott brought about the Travis Scott Meal, marketed as the musician’s “favorite meal,” which sold out quickly.
Now the restaurant has a new meal option advertised as the J Balvin Meal, which includes a Big Mac, fries with ketchup and an Oreo McFlurry.
