McDonald's Boss Says Vegan Menu Is Coming

McDonald’s Corporation CEO Chris Kempczinski, has confirmed that vegan food will be added to the menu at McDonald’s restaurants in the future.

In a recent interview with CNBC, he said: “I certainly expect that over time that you will see plant-based [food] on the McDonald’s menu,” 

 “I think for us the question is really about when and our system operates best at scale. We don’t do ‘hobbies’ (presumably small-scale or trendy launches) really well. And so when we bring plant-based onto the menu, we need to be confident that there is a sufficient level of demand that really will allow it to stick on the menu and so that’s going to be a country-by-country decision. I think there are going to be some countries that are further along on that than others but I do expect that we will have plant-based on the menu, it’s just a question of when.” 

Last year, McDonald's joined a growing list of restaurants selling fully vegan meals and added plant-based options in several locations worldwide.

For the first time ever, McDonald's tested a vegan burger (McVegan) in Finland and Sweden, and in Norway, the chain offered veggie nuggets.

In the UK, McDonald's launched Veggie Dippers and Happy Meal. You can also ask for the vegan burger (without the mayonnaise) even though it's not on the menu.

In Germany, the restaurants rolled out the Big Vegan TS made with Nestle’s Incredible Burger in 2019. And in Canada, the chain tested Plant, Lettuce, and Tomato burger made with a Beyond Meat patty. 

The demand for meat-free vegan options has skyrocketed in recent years. Consumers opt for vegan options due to health and environmental concerns. As a result, the most popular fast-food chains including KFC, Burger King and Pizza Hut have added vegan food options to their menus.