Thousands of In-N-Out fans are calling on the burger chain to add this one item to its menu

Almost 20,000 people have signed a petition calling on the iconic West Coast fast-food joint In-N-Out to add a veggie burger to its menu.

The Change.org petition, started earlier in September, says that the chain is letting its fans down by failing to serve a hearty and healthy meat-free option.

"Burger chains nationwide have been getting huge returns from meat alternatives, and In-N-Out could do the same. Chipotle has vegan sofritas, White Castle has veggie sliders - even fast-food kingpin Burger King has the BK Veggie!" reads the petition.

Currently, the best vegetarians can hope for at In-N-Out is fries or a bunch of cheese and veggies between two burger buns.

While only about 3% of Americans identify as vegetarian or vegan, an increasing number of people are cutting meat from their diets - something the petition highlights. According to a 2015 study, 26% to 41% of Americans report that they cut down on the amount of meat they ate in the past year.

As of Tuesday at 5:30 pm, the petition was about 5,000 signatures away from its goal of 25,000 supporters. However, the creators are also facing some backlash.

"As a vegetarian myself, this is a stupid petition," reads one comment on the petition. "Why, as a vegan, would you want to support a company that slaughters cows by the thousands?"

Some meat-lovers agree.

"This is absolutely the most incredibly stupid thing I have heard in a while, and there is a LOT of stupid going around," reads another comment. "In-N-Out, please do not change anything for these morons. If you do not want a burger, do not go to a burger stand."