Panda Express returns with plant-based meat a week after McDonald’s killed alt-meat burger
Are Americans looking for plant-based options at fast food restaurants? Two recent moves show restaurant chains are undecided.
On Wednesday, Panda Express said it is reintroducing plant-based chicken — developed with El Segundo, California-based Beyond Meat — to hundreds of U.S. stores. Beyond Orange Chicken will be available for a limited time, Panda Express said.
But last week, McDonald’s revealed it had pulled the plug in the US on the McPlant, a plant-based burger developed in partnership with Beyond Meat. During an appearance at the Wall Street Journal’s Global Food Forum, McDonald’s America President Joe Erlinger said the company’s 2022 test of McPlant stores in San Francisco and Dallas “failed in both markets.”
“I don’t think the US consumer … wants McPlant or other plant-based proteins at McDonald’s,” Erlinger said.
McPlant has seen more success in Europe, where consumers are more receptive to ordering plant-based products from McDonald’s. McPlant is now part of the permanent menu in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and other markets, while McDonald’s introduced plant-based McNuggets – also developed with Beyond Meat – in Europe last year.
Erlinger said McDonald’s will look at trends in crops, but prefers to focus on US chicken for now.
However, Panda Express is strong in terms of plant-based meats. It first tested Beyond Orange Chicken in 2021 and rolled out nationwide for a limited time in 2022.
“We have never received so many comments on social media asking for the return of the entree,” said a spokesperson for Panda Express. The company said fans even started a petition asking the company to return the bowl.
“If our fans continue to like it and want it, there’s a good chance they’ll increase availability,” the Rosemaad, California-based company said.
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