Starting today, White Castle is debuting its Impossible Slider in locations throughout New York, New Jersey and Chicagoland. For the launch, the Impossible Burger, a plant-based burger patty, has been scaled down to White Castle’s iconic slider size, which the chain is testing in 140 of its 376 units.
“The fact that we are the first fast-food chain to offer the Impossible Burger to our loyal customers epitomizes our history of being on the ‘bleeding edge’ of a rapidly evolving industry,” said White Castle CEO Lisa Ingram in a statement. Ingram is referring to the presence of heme in the burger’s ingredient composition, which gives the vegan product juiciness and the ability to “bleed” like beef.
Last year, White Castle introduced another vegan option—a black bean slider—as an LTO, but it's no longer on the menu. "We're not seeing the Impossible Slider as a replacement for the black bean slider, which has been a very successful limited time offer," White Castle VP Jamie Richardson told Restaurant Business. Rather, it's another option customers can enjoy anytime, he added.
White Castle is the largest single concept to serve the Impossible Burger—joining Fatburger, Umami Burger, Hopdoddy, The Counter and about 1,200 restaurants nationwide. Earlier this month, Impossible Foods, the burger’s parent company, closed on a $114 million deal to help fund further expansion. So far, investments in the company have totaled $396 million, including a cash infusion from Bill Gates.
White Castle is testing the Impossible Slider, with plans to potentially roll it out nationwide. It sells for $1.99 and is served on a signature slider bun and topped with smoked cheddar cheese, pickles and onions.
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