- Plant-based meat sales growth has flattened over the last several months.
- Fast-food chains have turned to Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods for meat substitutes.
Chick-fil-A is entering the race to find the perfect plant-based meal for fast food fans.
Next week, the Atlanta-based fried chicken chain plans to introduce its first plant-based meal, the Chick-fil-A Cauliflower Sandwich. The tender-style cut of a whole cauliflower is prepared like Chick-fil-A's classic fried chicken sandwich, marinated and breaded with the chain's signature seasonings and pressure-cooked.
The company said the "one-of-a-kind entree" took nearly four years to develop for its vegetable-seeking customers.
"Guests told us they wanted to add more vegetables into their diets, and they wanted a plant-forward entrée that tasted uniquely Chick-fil-A," Leslie Neslage, director of menu and packaging at Chick-fil-A, said in a statement.
It debuts Monday in three US markets – Denver, Colorado, Charleston, South Carolina, and North Carolina's Greensboro-Triad region.
Chick-fil-A's foray into the plant-based menu race comes as fast food chains like McDonald's and Pizza Hut have struggled to find meat alternatives to satisfy vegetarian and flexitarian customers. Chick-fil-A's vegetable sandwich test also comes as demand for plant-based meats has slowed, prompting layoffs at Impossible Foods.
Last summer, McDonald's scrapped testing of the McPlant burger in 600 US locations. That burger was made in partnership with Beyond Meat. According to Nation's Restaurant News, select McDonald's restaurants in international markets still serve plant-based products.
In 2021, Pizza Hut tested vegan pepperoni made by Beyond Meat. The company and Impossible Foods have been critical suppliers to restaurants looking for plant-based alternatives. According to the chain's website, Beyond pizzas are no longer available. Representatives for KFC and Panda Express told Insider that their plant-based chicken experiments were only available for a limited-time.
"At this time, Beyond the Original Orange Chicken will remain a limited time offer. Our chefs are continuing to explore plant-based entrees for our guests for future launches," Panda Express told Insider.
It's unclear if Chick-fil-A trialed any third-party plant-based products. The company did not respond when asked.
The chain said its in-house chefs worked "nearly four years finding the right ingredients and perfecting the recipe for the new sandwich.
"We explored every corner of the plant-based space in search of the perfect centerpiece for our plant-forward entrée," Stuart Tracy, culinary developer of the cauliflower sandwich, said in a statement. "Time and time again, we kept returning to cauliflower as the base of our sandwich."