White Castle is taking its Impossible Slider national.
The Columbus, Ohio-based chain will start selling its plant-based slider at all 377 locations today, following a successful test in New York, New Jersey and Chicago that started in April. The sliders will cost $1.99.
“Sales easily exceeded our expectations,” CEO Lisa Ingram said in a statement. She said that it was popular with both new and existing customers of the chain.
Jamie Richardson, vice president of White Castle, said in an interview that the popularity of the burger went beyond curiosity. Many customers ordered more than one of the plant-based burgers at a time and its popularity continued throughout the test.
The plant-based Impossible Burger has been designed to mimic the hamburger in taste and looks. It began appearing in high-end New York City restaurants but has become a hit inside chain restaurants.
The California-based chain Fatburger credited the addition of an Impossible Burger to its menu with 9.5% same-store sales growth in the company’s second quarter ended July 1.
Impossible Foods, the company formed in 2011 by a Stanford University biochemistry professor and that developed the burger, has received nearly $400 million in investment funding.
The burger is now available at more than 3,000 restaurants around the world.
White Castle said that the Impossible Slider “remains a social media phenomenon” and that 60,000 people have signed an online petition to encourage other fast-food chains to offer the plant-based burger.
“White Castle is teaching us how to popularize plant-based meat and become a mainstream, mass market menu item and cultural icon,” Impossible Foods Founder and CEO Patrick Brown said in a statement. “This partnership is a big win for consumers.”
Impossible Foods has been working with White Castle to ensure that the Impossible Slider works in the restaurant chain’s kitchen system. The slider is topped with smoked cheddar cheese, pickles and onions and is served on a signature bun.
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