Burger King is making its plant-based Impossible Whopper available at all its 7,000-plus locations starting August 8.
Burger King’s accelerated national rollout of the Impossible Whopper is pretty impressive, given that the burger only just debuted as a test in April. The Impossible Whopper will cost $5.59 (a dollar more than a regular Whopper), and if you are dead set on trying one, you’ll want to act quickly. As CNN Business writes, Burger King has not made the Impossible Whopper a permanent part of its menu and it will only be available while supplies last.
And supply has been an issue for Impossible, which experienced a four-month long supply shortage that only ended a couple of weeks ago. But there will be new stresses on Impossible’s supply chain, as the company just yesterday announced that it will be available at retail outlets starting in September.
True, we don’t know exactly what Impossible’s availability at retail will look like. The company didn’t provide any specifics on what product was coming to market (patties or ground “beef”), or numbers around size or location of its first foray into supermarkets. So the retail rollout could be a slow drip that doesn’t impact restaurant availability all that much.
If early results are any indication, BK’s Impossible rollout could be a whopper in and of itself. Early market research showed that Burger Kings that offered the Impossible Whopper saw an 18 percent increase in foot traffic over those that did not. Burger King’s President for the Americas told CNN Business that the Impossible Whopper is drawing in new customers, something we’ve heard of first hand from at least one Spoon reader who hadn’t been in a Burger King in forever and made a trip specifically to try one out (he liked it!).
Sales of plant-based meat are booming, as so-called flexitarians are drawn to a product that tastes and feels like meat, but doesn’t have all of the ethical and environmental considerations associated with eating animals. Impossible rival Beyond Meat had its Q2 earnings call earlier this week, and reported sales of $67 million for that quarter and increased its revenue outlook for the year to $240 million.
As part of its nationwide launch of the Impossible Whopper, from Aug. 8 – Sept. 1, Burger King is running a “taste test” promotion with DoorDash, which lets you buy both a traditional Whopper and an Impossible one for $7.
Will you be taking a plant-based bite?