After years in development, Burger King UK has announced the launch of its first ever completely meat-free restaurant, with a month-long pilot takeover at none other than its iconic Leicester Square flagship.
The restaurant – which has also undergone a redesign transformation fit for the occasion – will be open from 14 March 2022 to 10 April 2022, and will showcase Burger King’s full menu of favourites, made completely meat-free.
Alongside much-loved heroes such as the Plant-based Whopper® and Vegan Royale, diners will also get an exclusive taste of over 15 ground-breaking new items.
In a fast-food first, a ‘Cheeeze & Bakon’ burger is set to be the crowning glory of the restaurant’s innovative new menu, with a Plant-based Bakon Double Cheeeze XL and Vegan Cheeeze & Bakon Royale being launched for the first time ever, taking the place of their meaty equivalents the Bacon Double XL and Chicken Royale Bacon & Cheese.
Other mouth-watering options headed to the meat-free restaurant include the Vegan Nugget Burger, a Plant-based Double Cheeezeburger, Plant-based Cheeeze & Bakon Whopper®, as well as scrumptious sides such as Vegan Chilli Cheeeze Bites. The newly launched plant-based and vegan Katsu range, available nationwide for a limited-time-only, will also be available at the restaurant.
In another first of its kind, Burger King has also announced a meat-free menu for kids.
The fast-food chain has even said it will be keeping an eye on the most popular items on the menu, with a view to making some of them nationally available in the future.
Burger King has opened the meat-free restaurant to offer a wider and better choice for vegan, vegetarians, flexitarians, and meat-eaters alike, and follows years of development alongside the Vegan Society to guarantee the meat-free menu matches up to the same iconic flame-grilled flavour of its meat counterparts.
The new meat-free restaurant will only be open for one month, meaning burger fans will have to get in quick to try the one-of-a-kind menu before it’s gone.
Katie Evans, from Burger King UK, said, “We’re incredibly proud of our new meat-free menu; it absolutely delivers on big taste with no compromises and reflects our ongoing commitment to serving our customers a diverse and innovative range of products.
'The limited-edition menu is a direct result of our focus on vegan and plant-based innovation and goes hand in hand with our target of a 50% meat-free menu by 2030, as well as our commitment to sustainability and responsible business. We can’t think of a more fitting way to re-launch our new-look flagship in Leicester Square.”
The restaurant chain has committed to reducing emissions including those from purchased goods and services, capital distribution and waste generated in operations and franchises, with the new Leicester Square store being an example of this.
Dawn Carr from PETA added, “PETA applauds the UKs first all-vegan Burger King – a whopping great step in the right direction for animals and the environment. The planet needs a game-changing shift away from meat to combat the climate emergency, and Burger King is leading the way.
'We love its expanding meat-free range: from the Vegan Royale to the Vegan Nuggets, these plant-powered, protein-packed meals appeal to both vegans and meat-eaters!”
Laura Iliffe, from The Vegetarian Butcher, commented, “At The Vegetarian Butcher, we believe that plant-based foods should be just as tasty as meat and our juicy range of meat-free products prove just that – showing that consumers don’t need to sacrifice a thing when making a plant-based switch.
'By powering Burger King’s plant-based offering and first meat-free restaurant in Leicester Square with our Plant-based Whopper, Vegan Nuggets and Vegan Royale – all of which are available nationwide - we’re providing meat-lovers the chance to cut-down meat without compromising on taste. We challenge you to taste the difference!”
The Leicester Square meat-free restaurant opens 14th March and will be available throughout the month until 10 April 2022. To celebrate the restaurant going fully meat-free, Burger King UK is donating 10p to Trees for Cities for every Plant-based Whopper or Vegan Royale sold nationally during the four weeks of opening. *