On June 26, 2024, The Wall Street Journal held its Global Food Forum. At the event, McDonald’s executives were asked to comment on the possible reappearance of its plant-based option — the McPlant. And to no one’s surprise, there are no plans for its return…
But, why was this veggie burger a flop in a health-conscious market? That’s what we are going to talk about in this article.
In 2021, McDonald’s began testing the McPlant in two major U.S. cities — Dallas and San Francisco. Later, it was released in the United Kingdom and several other European countries.
Eventually, the plant-based patty was available in approximately 600 U.S. restaurants. But by 2022, the whole project was mysteriously killed off in the United States.
President of McDonald’s U.S., Joe Erlinger, told The Wall Street Journal last week:
“I DON’T THINK THE U.S. CONSUMER IS COMING TO MCDONALD’S LOOKING FOR THE MCPLANT OR OTHER PLANT-BASED PROTEINS.”
And while that may be true, Maccie’s didn’t set this launch up for success…
McPlant Wasn’t Giving Consumers What They ACTUALLY Wanted…
First, let’s address the biggest problem with the McPlant…
The veggie burger made from Beyond Meat substitute was suitable for neither vegans nor vegetarians!
Yes, although the patty was plant-based, it featured egg-based mayo, cheese, and was cooked alongside meat products…
SO, THE VERY AUDIENCE IT WAS GEARED TOWARDS WAS GIVEN NO CONSIDERATION.
In stark contrast, the McPlant released outside the United States is vegan and vegetarian-friendly. And, has been a major success in those countries.
So much so, that they released the Double McPlant in the U.K.
Of course, everyone’s dietary choices are up to them. However, you’d think McDonald’s U.S. team would ensure that the intended consumers could eat the product…
Mistakes like this reveal why it is no shock that McDonald’s revenue is down.
We can only hope they learned something from this major McFlop and think through future launches — vegan or not.
Be Great,
GCTV Staff
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