Chick-fil-A plans to begin testing a “one-of-a-kind” plant-forward Cauliflower Sandwich in three U.S. markets on February 13.
"Cauliflower is the hero of our new sandwich, and it was inspired by our original Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich," said Leslie Neslage, director of menu and packaging at Chick-fil-A.
"Guests told us they wanted to add more vegetables into their diets, and they wanted a plant-forward entrée that tasted uniquely Chick-fil-A. Our new sandwich is made with the highest quality ingredients and whole vegetables, and we hope it offers customers another reason to dine at Chick-fil-A."
The sandwich, made with a tender filet cut from a whole, real cauliflower, is the first plant-based food item on the quick service chain’s menu. The cauliflower is marinated, breaded with a signature seasoning, pressure-cooked and served on a toasted buttery bun with two dill pickle chips.
Although Chick-fil-A called the sandwich plant-forward, it may not meet the needs of vegetarians or vegans. The chain’s restaurants don’t have “vegetarian-only preparation surfaces” and the sandwich uses milk and eggs, according to a Chick-fil-A blog post about the Cauliflower Sandwich.
Tests of the plant-forward sandwich will run for a limited time in Denver, Charleston, South Carolina and North Carolina’s Greensboro-Triad region. It will retail for $6.59.
Other foodservice brands selling plant-based options
Chick-fil-A joins several other popular foodservice brands that have trialed plant-based options.
Burger King had one of the more successful launches with the Impossible Whopper. More recently the quick service chain began trialing the Impossible Chick’n Sandwich.
KFC debuted debut Beyond Fried Chicken in restaurants across the U.S. for a limited time beginning January 10, 2022, becoming the first plant-based poultry product created for a national chain. The plant-based nuggets were first tested at a single store in Atlanta in August 2019. The chain thought the supply would last them for a week – but sold out in less than five hours.
McDonald’s made a big splash with the McPlant Burger debut in 2021. The roll out was initially successful selling approximately 500 McPlant burgers per week, or 70 per day. However, the plant-based protein failed to meet expectations in expanded tests and it was removed from U.S. menus in August 2022.
