CASADO LLERENA: Vegetarian meals do not suit fast food chains
Column: Just Wondering
Chick-Fil-A announced that they would be testing its first plant-based entree on February 13. The cauliflower sandwich started rolling out in selected restaurants and has mixed customer responses: Some approve of the sandwich, while others question the company’s decisions.
The issue is that Chick-Fil-A doesn’t even consider the sandwich fully vegetarian. Its website states that the sandwich can be considered only vegetarian-friendly because of the cooking environment. Instead, the point of the sandwich is to generate controversy and get people talking about the product.
Chick-Fil-A is no stranger to massive criticism and being the center of attention. If the constant Twitter replies were not enough, the restaurant has faced backlash in the past for donating to organizations that are strictly anti-LGBTQ+. But introducing a plant-based sandwich have people confused about what the restaurant has in store for the future.
What is built out of that confusion is hope because Chick-Fil-A is officially one of the only fast food restaurants with a "vegetarian" option — joining KFC, Chipotle, Qdoba, Burger King and a few others.
The issue is not that it is impossible for fast food restaurants to go fully vegetarian, but rather that the customer base for such products may be low. Approximately 5 percent of U.S. adults consider themselves vegetarian out of more than 1,000 interviews, according to a 2018 Gallup poll. The majority of these are adults between 18 to 34 years of age.
In 2022, the percentage of people who consider themselves vegetarian increased to 10 percent, according to a study by Alliance for Science. Even with this, though, 90 percent of Americans would likely not even consider choosing a vegetarian option at a restaurant, especially when it comes to a fast food restaurant.
The issue with restaurants having vegetarian options is precisely this: There is a minimal chance that anyone would choose an Impossible Whopper, especially when considering the product quality and the chance that a customer is vegetarian. When someone is in a rush and decides to drive up to a Burger King, what do you think they will ask for? They will likely not choose the Impossible Whopper. Obviously, they will choose a regular Whopper with a side of fries and a Coke. It is fast, cost-effective and consistent.
The price for a Chick-Fil-A chicken sandwich meal is $9.75, which includes a side and a beverage. The price for just the chicken sandwich is $5.45. The price of the new cauliflower sandwich is approximately $7, and it has people outraged. On TikTok, users wasted no time reviewing the new sandwich and were confused about the price.
A TikTok user that goes by @morganchompz stated that the sandwich is $7.19 before tax. After reading a couple of the comments, it was clear to me that the majority of people would not go to a Chick-Fil-A to order a vegetarian option due to the increased cost in comparison to other items.
Some comments ranged from describing disgust for cauliflower to discussing how overpriced the sandwich is and how they would never pay for seasoned cauliflower. But there were a good amount of users excited about the sandwich, with individuals asking when the sandwich would be distributed countrywide and simply showing excitement that there could be a vegetarian option on the menu.
But overall, with how the public is receiving the new sandwich less than two weeks after its release, the future is not looking vegetarian — at least not in fast food restaurants.
The appeal of a fast food restaurant is that there is a convenient meal for anyone at a reasonable price and can be delivered between 2 to 5 minutes. Most customers will not spend time trying something new, especially if it is plant-based.
In a gourmet restaurant where customers expect a wait time of 10 to 15 minutes and prices range from $15 to $25 — there are fully vegetarian options that are quite delicious, as a matter of fact.
It all stems down to expectations and convenience. No one expects a fast food restaurant to have a vegetarian option, but it is out there. No one expects the cauliflower sandwich to succeed, but some would purchase the item.
If vegetarian menus were integrated in all food establishments sooner, then there could exist a future where people would go to a drive-through and purchase a vegetarian burger. As of now, though, that future is highly unlikely.
Sebastian Casado Llerena is a senior in the School of Arts and Sciences majoring in journalism and media studies with a global news specialization and minoring in english. His column, "Just Wondering," runs on alternate Thursdays.
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