Burger King‘s Impossible Whopper is now available in a number of stores in California.
The Impossible Whopper features the same burger build as the store’s traditional beef-based option, replacing the patty with Impossible Foods’ plant-based patty. It also features tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise, pickles, and sliced white onions on sesame seed bun. Mayo can be removed to make the option free of animal ingredients.
The sandwich initially launched in 59 stores around St. Louis in Missouri on April 1. Since then, it has rolled out to eateries in Missouri, Miami, Alabama, and Georgia. Now it is also available in 100 stores across the San Francisco Bay Area.
Impossible Whopper
According to a statement from Burger King, the St Louis trial went exceedingly well. “As a result there are plans to extend testing into additional markets in the very near future,” said a representative for the chain.
It seems that the sandwich is currently mainly attracting new customers, with José Cil, the CEO of Burger King parent company Restaurant Brands International, saying: “We aren’t seeing guests swap the original Whopper for the Impossible Whopper…it’s attracting new guests.”
Whopper controversy
Burger King has come under fire in recent days after it was revealed that a store in Brooklyn had delivered beef burgers to customers who had ordered the plant-based version from food delivery service Seamless.
According to Eater, the 736 Broadway Burger King franchise was listing the Impossible Whopper on its menu, on Seamless. The fast-food giant told Eater that ‘when a customer orders it, they’ve been sending a classic beef Whopper in its place, asking the driver to inform people of the swap’.
But drivers failed to tell numerous customers that their sandwich contained animal meat. The mix-up was only revealed when a customer went into the bricks and mortar store and was told that outlet did not yet stock it. “I was incredulous,” he told Eater. “This is a city where there are a lot of reasons why people don’t eat [meat], from religion to health to ethics.”
‘Technical error
A spokesperson for Burger King said that the Impossible Whopper being listed on Seamless was a ‘technical error’.
“We apologize for any confusion this has caused. Any guests who ordered an Impossible Whopper through delivery in the New York area and have any questions may call 1-866-394-2493,” the statement said.