No, it’s not a veggie spicy chicken sandwich. That war seems to have hit a ceiling.
While Dunkin’ Donuts is scaling back their veggie meat offerings, burger bigwig Wendy’s is adding a new one.
But instead of the more recent trends of developing meaty fake meats like the Impossible Burger or Beyond Burger, Wendy’s is working on what could be considered the “classic” veggie burger, made of black beans, chick peas, and a blend of spices.
This standard veggie burger base has been floating around since the 1990s, but Wendy’s is the most recent national chain to really dive into developing their own tasty version of such -- and of course, it’ll be their classic square shape.
As Delish reports, Wendy’s held a recent presser about the new meatless menu item, and the company’s Vice President of Culinary Innovation, John Li, explained that the fast food giant has been at this for a while.
"Just because something is meatless doesn’t mean it needs to be tasteless," Li said. "With our Spicy Black Bean Burger, we crafted it to feature texture, flavor, and a nutrition profile we were looking for."
As Delish details, the black bean patty will come layered with chipotle jalapeños for texture, melty pepper jack, spicy chipotle sauce, tomatoes, sweet onion slices, and romaine all inside a toasted bun.
The reasoning here might be that many vegetarians are not necessarily looking for something that tastes or has a texture like meat.
If you’re vegetarian and have been thinking on a road trip plan this summer, maybe head to Columbus, OH, Jacksonville, FL, or Pittsburgh, PA, as those are the test markets where Wendy’s new veggie burger will be first trotted out, starting July 28.
This new twist comes after other recent summer supper suppositions from Wendy’s like the strawberry chicken salad and free Frostys (which end soon!).
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