When most people picture a burger in their head, they picture two slices of bread and cheese around a thick piece of beef dripping in oily goodness. With the hamburger becoming a staple meal in many people’s diets, major restaurant chains such as McDonalds and Burger King have both made huge successes from selling hamburgers. However, as the vegan and vegetarian population around the world continues to increase, food suppliers are finding that they need to cater to customers’ new diets. Thus, big brands, especially in the United States, are starting to offer different versions of the meal as the number of plant-based eaters increases as well.

One such example is the well-known chain Shake Shack, which tested a new $7.29 (USD) veggie burger at several of their stores in New York City, Los Angeles, and Austin in April. Although they already have another vegetarian option called the “Shroomburger” (a mushroom-based alternative), this new patty, made with black beans, is rapidly gaining traction amongst Shake Shack’s customer base. The company listed the growing number of vegans and vegetarians as the reason why they decided to test-run this new vegetarian patty. White Castle, another American fast food chain, is now also selling a vegan version of their signature meal, using substitute meat products from the company “Impossible Foods,” which is credited with popularizing the vegan meat obsession. 

And the trend is only growing — just a few months ago, big supermarket brands Costco, Walmart, and Whole Foods retailed a new “bleeding” vegan burger patty made by California company Don Lee Farms. “Our customers are looking for an alternative to a raw beef burger, and we responded with a healthier approach—making a burger with organic plants,” Don Lee Farms president Donald Goodman said. “We challenge everyone to look at the ingredients found in other plant-based raw burgers currently being sold ... you would be surprised.”

Vegan burgers are on the rise around the world, even in Hong Kong! Hotel ICON in Kowloon is now launching the Impossible Burger patty in their restaurant GREEN. The W Hotel, the Intercontinental, and the Grand Hyatt will add the Impossible Burger patty, which produces 87% less greenhouse gases than a conventional meat patty does, to their menus soon as well. Vegans and vegetarians rejoice! 

Sources: Business Insider, Green Queen, Inhabitat, Vegnews