Meatless wings are now available at 318 Hooters restaurants across the US.
The vegetarian, non-GMO, soy-free and sustainable produced plant-based protein product is made with a fermented fungus-based meat alternative. Customers can order Unreal Wings with any of Hooters’ 14 sauces or dry rubs.
Unreal Wings sell for $9.99 for a six-piece and $14.99 per 10-piece.
The meatless wings are already garnering rave reviews.
“If we hadn’t known ahead of time that these weren’t made from real chicken, we probably wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference. The plant-based protein, sauce and dressing tasted just like regular boneless wings,” said The Daily Meal, a website that covers the latest food news.
Hooters partners with Quorn
Described as “so unreal, even the iconic Hooters Girls couldn’t spot the difference,” the Unreal Wings were developed in partnership with Quorn, a UK-based meat alternative company that has been experimenting with vegetarian and soy-free “meats” since the 1980s.
"We're excited to build upon our heritage of offering the broadest variety of wings under one roof by being the first to bring great tasting meatless wings to our guests!" said Carl Sweat, Chief Marketing Officer of Hooters of America. "By partnering with Quorn, we were able to create the taste, texture and crispiness of our world-famous chicken wings perfectly.”
Plant-based options at other restaurants
In 2019, a number of quick service restaurants began selling meat alternatives as the industry tried to determine whether the success of plant-based proteins is a fad or a long-lasting trend. Sales of plant-based food are currently valued at $4.5 billion.
"The rise of meatless options especially at quick service and fast casual restaurants has largely centered on burgers, and we're excited to partner with Hooters to roll out the first meatless poultry item on a national scale in the US,” Kevin Brennan, Chief Executive Officer of Quorn Foods, said.
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