The restaurant chain, which has about 500 locations across the country, is the first major fast food company to swap plant-based ingredients in place of the animal version on multiple items on its menu, including three different breakfast burgers, three bagel sandwiches, and a “Western” breakfast plate. “It’s pretty rare to see outright replacement of an item on a menu, let alone doing it across seven different menu items simultaneously,” says Zak Weston, foodservice and supply chain manager at the Good Food Institute, a nonprofit focused on plant-based food. “As well as doing it across 500 locations.”
The meals aren’t vegan; the chain, which is often compared to KFC, is serving the plant-based egg along with meat (although customers have the option to request a sandwich without meat or mayo). The restaurants also still offer a handful of items with eggs, such as a fried egg. But