Hey Macca’s! While salads are nice, sometimes vegetarians want a burger too
MACCA’S needs a reality check. The burger market is booming yet it still refuses to include one simple item to its menu.
OPINION
McDONALD’S, here’s a reality check. Salads aren’t a vegetarian’s only friend.
Believe it or not, we don’t mind a burger — greasy and oversized — just like our meat eating mates.
I get that we are the minority. That you’re famed for beef-based Big Mac’s and crispy chicken creations lathered in special sauces. But the option to use a slice of halloumi between lettuce, tomato and a few condiments doesn’t equate to a “delicious vegetarian alternative” IMO.
Sorry, but it’s 2016 and I shouldn’t have to say “I’ll just have the fries” during a stop at my local Macca’s any longer.
You’ve tried the vego burger before and it didn’t really work for sales. The squeeze wasn’t worth the juice — or should I say the burger — in the end.
In 2011, former McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson told investors that there wasn’t the demand for veggie burgers at their restaurants which is why they didn’t stick around on the menu.
That mentality has stuck around — five years after his comments were made.
“We have had a vegetarian burger on the menu before but unfortunately they don’t stay on the menu when demand falls away,” a spokesperson for McDonald’s told news.com.au.
“We still offer our customers a vegetarian option with Create Your Taste where you can choose from a range of ingredients such as grilled halloumi, egg, guacamole and grilled pineapple.”
But the landscape and demand has changed, and a vegetarian’s place is no longer on the backburner. We have the right to enjoy a full burger experience.
While little information is available about the number of vegetarians and vegans in Australia, a 2010 Newspoll Survey found seven out of 10 Australians are eating more plant-based meals than previously listed.
Although only five to six per cent of Aussie females and one to three per cent of Aussie males claim to be vegetarian, the diet trend is on the rise.
This year alone, packaged food and beverage products containing the word ‘vegetarian’ on the label will account for sales of A$770 million this year. By 2020, Euromonitor anticipates this will reach A$812 million, an overall increase of 6%.
“We are in the top three fastest growing vegan markets in the world,” a spokesperson said.
“Increases in health-consciousness as well as ethical concerns around the production of meat are key reasons Australians are choosing to adopt a vegetarian diet. A rise in part-time vegetarians, or ‘flexitarians’, can also explain this increased prevalence.”
Hungry Jacks, who has had their Veggie Whopper on the menu for more than 20 years, said it was a staple item that meant both meat and non-meat eaters had the option of enjoying a burger together.
“Hungry Jack’s first introduced the Veggie Whopper more than 20 years ago and has been on our core menu ever since,” Scott Baird company spokesperson for Hungry Jack’s said.
“Over the last 20 years we’ve seen an increase in sales of the Veggie Whopper and it’s a popular
option among our vegetarian consumers, we have no plans for the Veggie Whopper to leave
our core menu.”
Mr Baird said the changing landscape of burger restaurants and demands meant that a vegetarian option was imperative to include if they were to stay competitive in the evolving market.
“In the last 12 months we’ve seen a significant increase in Veggie Whopper sales across our 404
stores nationally and we are proud to be one of the first introducers of a vegetarian burger
option.”
Grill’d, who have several vegetarian and vegan burger options including the Garden Goodness, Field of Dreams and newly introduced Veggie Vitality, said the sales of vegetarian and vegan burgers are 12 per cent up Year-on-year, and that number is growing fast.
Manager of Sydney-based fast-food chain Ogalo, who specialise in Portuguese chicken said despite being marketed at consumers who eat meat, their vegetarian alternative is booming.
“We have an increasing amount of enquiries about our vegetarian range, we’ve had to start looking at expanding our options,” Nelson Lima, manager of Sydney-based fast-food chain Ogalo told news.com.au.
“While we only have one vegetarian burger option at the moment, we will be introducing a more gourmet style in the near future.”
Mr Lima said the demand for vegetarian food is increasing on a weekly basis, and for a burger franchise not to include the option in the menu is a “massive missed opportunity for new customers”.
“McDonald’s are missing out on the market,” Mr Lima said.
“You are cutting yourself short if you don’t have a veggie burger on the menu.
“It’s a growing market, and if you only have one option [chicken, meat or fish], people will go elsewhere so they have a choice.”
Mr Lima said although Ogalo’s vegetarian burger isn’t the biggest seller on their mostly chicken menu, he realises that vegetarians enjoy food just as much as anyone else.
“We are aiming to get more of the vegetarian market, and while salads are nice - vegetarians want the fullness and comfort of a burger as well,” Mr Lima said.
“At this stage, we sell one or two veggie burgers for every 30 orders we receive, which is what we are trying to change.”
Now, not all McDonald’s franchises are against the vegetarian burger concept.
In 2013, McDonald’s opened its first ever vegetarian-only restaurant in India to cater for the 80 per cent Hindu population who regard cows as sacred and don’t eat beef, and for Muslims who don’t consume pork.
Regular McDonald’s restaurants in India already have a menu that is 50 per cent vegetarian, including the McAloo Tikka, the Veg Maharaja Mac, the Veg McMuffin, the McVeggie and the McSpicy Paneer.
And yes, while our vegetarian numbers hardly rival figures in India, McDonald’s in Australia still doesn’t see the need to introduce a vegetarian burger on its menu just yet.
“We are currently trialling a brown rice and lentil veggie burger in a handful of restaurants,” the McDonald’s Australia spokesperson said.
I look forward to trying it ...
Is it time for McDonald’s to introduce a Veggie Burger? vanessa.brown@news.com.au