McVeggie?

20 Responses

1. Paul

   16|May|2003 1

   Not to rain on your parade, but at least one McDonald’s in Chicago has sold a veggie burger at times. I think it was a one- or two-location thing, though, versus having 600 do it.

   While I don’t think this would change my mind about eating at McDonald’s, it’s nice to see them trying it. But, the McLean Deluxe failed (remember that?) and I think the McVeggie is in a similar boat.

2. Tori

   17|May|2003 2

   Well, here in Montreal (Canada) they have this Light Menu that includes the Veggie Burger for few months and I think it’s somewhat popular.

   Hopefully the Veggie Burger in the USA will taste better than the one in Canada, ’cause I tried it and I don’t really like it. Burger King’s tastes better.

3. Brad

   25|May|2003 3

   There is a chain called “Lick’s” which has sold a “Nature Burger” for years and years, which has become 80% more popular than beef, even among hardcore cow addicts who’d rather pay a hefty fine than brake for a vegetarian crossing the street, and yet they swear by these things because of the taste and health benefits.

   See, the problem is I try the McDonald’s veggieburger, and half way through I’m cursing myself for paying for this dried out mess, loathing the whole idea of the veggie burger, praying for a little soilent green to slip into the mix for texture and cursing vegetarians for ruining cullinary culture. Problem with all that is: I’ve been veggie for almost fifteen years.

   Trying to bridge carnivore understanding of the vegetarian ethos is like coaxing a squirrel with a peanut. Lick’s did it. But McDonalds? Ughh. These freeze dried disaster is setting the cause back decades. People didn’t stand for Olestra in their chips, and they won’t stand for sawdust in their fake burgers.

4. sean

   05|Jun|2003 4

   why don’t they just buy Boca vegan burgers and sell those? Thats what they are doing now with YVES. They are just using their frozen burgers and selling it as their own. No problem with that, but the boca burgers are vegan (like me) and taste good.

5. Ryan

   05|Jun|2003 5

   Ah, but Boca is now owned by Kraft/Phillip Morris… I don’t know about you, but I’ve stopped supporting Boca because of this.

   Best case: go with Gardenburger brand… they’re not owned by a huge corp. and they have a very tasty vegan option.

6. Scott

   06|Jun|2003 6

   According to an NPR story, the Canadian McVeggie accounts for 8% of sales in Canadian McDonalds. The burger being tried by California McDs is a special flavor formulation exclusive to the fast food chain. McD’s wanted their product to be distinctive and not something you could get out of your own freezer. (Fearing that you could get a yellow and red booth in your dining room, let some milkshake dry on the edges and stick some gum underneath and have the McDonald’s experience in your own house.)

   I think that the burger itself is vegan, but will be cooked on the same grills as the meat. I don’t know whether the buns are to be vegan. I don’t know that strict veggies are really in their target market.

   BK didn’t really promote their veggie burger that I ever saw when they had one and McDonald’s didn’t. So fantasizing about competing ads for the veggie burgers is probably too much to hope for. The burgers will be there if someone wanders in and wants one, but it isn’t where they’ll find advertising cost-effectiveness.

   I read years ago in Meat Processing magazine that the biggest hurdle to fast food chains offering veggie burgers was that simply offering them suggests that there is something wrong with meat burgers. So I think it is a major step that the two biggest chains may soon have veggie burgers on their menus.

7. Ryan

   06|Jun|2003 7

   Scott –

   BK didn’t really promote their veggie burger that I ever saw when they had one and McDonald’s didn’t.

   When it first came out, it seemed to be promoted just as heavily as their other new products that were introduced at the same time. I haven’t seen much word of it recently, then again, it’s been a while since I’ve seen a BK commercial, period.

   I read years ago in Meat Processing magazine that the biggest hurdle to fast food chains offering veggie burgers was that simply offering them suggests that there is something wrong with meat burgers. So I think it is a major step that the two biggest chains may soon have veggie burgers on their menus.

   Very good point. Can’t argue with that!

8. Nathan Potter

   13|Jun|2003 8

   I don’t believe much of the health stuff which pro-vegetarian groups profess. Going vegetarian reduces one’s risk of heart disease and cancer a little, I guess. The main reason I tell people to go vege is that it stops them from torturing an innocent animal to death for no good reason. It’s their own choice if they wish to drop dead of a heart attack or lung cancer from smoking.

   So I support the veggie burger at McDonald’s, but it still will not stop me from lobbying for federal law to outlaw meat production altogether.

9. greg

   14|Jun|2003 9

   some friends of mine have an organic produce/grocery and want to carry vegie dogs btu this whole mcdonalds/yves things doesn’t fit in with their diy ethos, hs mcdonalds bought out yves? For me personally yves have kinda signed a pact with the ‘devil’ as they say, even if they are going to offer a ‘veggie’ burger it isn’t for any other reason than profit and its that profit motive that continues to detroy our earth, so it seems that in essence yves are doing nothing but profiteering fom mcdonalds slump in sales - besides they don’t make organic products anyways! (from what i know…hmm?) let alone mcdonalds fuct up labor history etc etc.. i guess i’m just answering my own questions here… comments?..
   cheers

10. geekgirl

    18|Jun|2003 10

    I tried the McVeggie at Mcdonald’s in NYC- they (most of them down in the village area) had them for a couple years. They were okay. I make far superior veggie burgers at home. When I lived in the NYC I like having more fast food options, but now in the slow midwest I wouldn’t touch mcdonald’s with a 10 foot poll.

11. McFil

    11|Aug|2003 11

    This McSounds like a McFantstic idea! I McLove my veggies and I’ve been a vegetarian for 17 Mcyears. The McVeggie burger has been in McEurope (where I reside in McHolland) for ages and they’re better than any other veggie burgers I’ve tried. I really McReccommend you keep an open McMind!!

    -the undersigned
    (McFil)

    photo of Holland’s McVeggie: http://www.mcdonalds.nl/gfx/content/products/voedingswijzer/groenteburger.gif

    tastie!

12. John

    12|Sep|2003 12

    Wanted to let everyone know that McD’s in New York is selling a McVeggie in several restaurants in New York City. This product is a very good option for a large market and is quite good as well. I am excited to see that McD’s is branching out!
    My wife and I have yet to try the product in LA and are hoping to do so on our next trip to Cali.

    John

13. noah stewart-ornstein

    11|Nov|2003 13

    Just to let you all know the mcveggie burger has lard in the bun, so in reality its not vegetarian.

14. jim

    22|Jan|2004 14

    I tried a McVeggie in Barstow and it was one of the best damn burgers I ever tasted. I bought a second one for the road.

15. zuke

    11|Feb|2004 15

    In the past few weeks the McDonald’s ads I’ve been hearing have added a disclaimer at the end concerning the fact that the McVeggie burger may come into contact with chicken or beef products. I assume that means they fry on the same grill? In any case, the disclaimers have ensured that I will never try the McVeggie. (btw, there is no lard in the bun. All ingredients, including the sauce, are animal product free - I did check that part out when I was considering eating one.)

16. Remon

    10|May|2004 16

    In the Netherlands McDonalds is no longer selling the vegatale burger, I am really disappointed in this company because they ignore the growing market for vegetable food, I always saw McDonalds as a modern leading company, but this makes them no better then what restaurant so ever. I really hope we can confince McDonalds to re-introduce a vegi-burger and to sell salades without meat (since may 2004 all salades come with meat).

    McDonalds………….. why, why, why ??????

17. Vegetarian burger lover

    15|Apr|2005 17

    I tried a veggie burger at McDonald’s recently and it was the single most disgusting thing I’ve ever eaten. Gray and textureless, absolutely revolting — it couldn’t have been worse if the product had been designed to fail. I’ve eaten a bunch of vegetarian burgers, from unappealing to really fantastically good, and this bears no resemblance to any of them, or to real meat. I don’t know how they managed it. If you took a mushy compost heap, and boiled it until all odor/flavor was gone, then let it sit until it was just starting to rot, then pressed it into a patty, I think this is about what you’d get. Really, I can’t think of words to adequately convey how disgusting this thing was. My advice is to stay away.

    Hooray for McD’s for adding a vegetarian burger, but why’d they make it a gross one? We’d be in there every week if they made it edible.

18. Jason

    08|May|2005 18

    I haven’t had the chance to try one of these McVeggie burgers but I hope that McDonalds will start carrying them mainstream so I can. I have to give McD’s props on trying. One of the hardest parts of going vegan and having a very hectic schedule witj very little time is to give up fast food restaurants as a source of food. And as far as the preperation of the burger, I have read that the McVeggie patties are manufactured outside of McDonalds and then prepared on a disposable plate in the microwave at McDonalds to prevent cross contamination from other non vegan items sold at the restaurant. I will be sure to try this new patty, to condemn the burger because it is a product of mcdonalds would be going against the cause. How do we expect the chain to ever change its ways if we do not support their efforts to do so. Who knows the veggie burger might evolve and gain enough popularity to shadow the beef patty knocking it out all together. Extreme change takes time, alot of time. Boca burgers are in my opinion delicious, which shows that a good non-beef patty is possible, it is also going to take an entity such as McDonalds to sway hardcore meat eaters to the vegan side. They just dont listen to anyone, but McDonalds may have a chance.

19. tktim

    22|Jan|2006 19

    As of today McDonald’s stopped selling the McVeggie burger in California.

20. Ed

    08|Feb|2006 20

    My local Mcdonalds used to sell a really tasty Veggie burger, but sadly stopped selling it. Thing is, I love meat, so this used to be a top notch side order for my Big Mac. Anyone know of a decent veggie burger recipe? Not soya beans, just good old traditional veggies, fried. Like, if you are gonna eat a burger, surely it shouldn’t be healthy?