Famed US fast food chain White Castle will begin selling Impossible burgers, a meat-free alternative that looks and tastes just like the real thing, at restaurants across the country today.
Impossible burgers contain wheat, coconut oil, potatoes and a plant extract known as heme. Impossible burger meat contains no animal products, making it suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
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However, the Veggie slider sold at White Castle will be topped with smoked cheddar cheese, making it unsuitable for vegans.
This will be the first time that a plant-based patty is sold at fast food restaurants in the United States, the company announced.
However, they aren’t the first fast food company to do so. White Castle follows McDonald’s, which started trialling the McVegan burger in Finland late last year.
The Impossible burger, created by Californian company Impossible Foods, has received widespread attention in recent years.
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By GlobalDataSince joining the White Castle menu, the Impossible burger is now available at more than 1,000 locations across the US.
Burger chain Wahlburgers, co-owned by actor Mark Wahlberg, added the Impossible burger to its menus last month. Likewise, Disney has also started using Impossible Food’s meat-free meat in their No Meatball Sub at Disney’s California Adventure theme park.
As well as customers, Impossible burger have attracted plenty of interest from investors. The company announced on Monday that it had secured $114 million in financing from Asian firms Temasek and Sailing Capital. This took total investment in the company to $396 million.
Where will the White Castle Impossible Burger be available?
The Impossible burger will initially be available at 140 of White Castle’s 380 US restaurants for a limited time. However, White Castle will add the item to its menu at all restaurants permanently if it proves to be popular.
The 140 restaurants will be located throughout New York, New Jersey and Chicago. Here is the full list of White Castle restaurants serving the burger:
Chicago
- 12709 S. Western Ave, Blue Island, IL 60406
- 7155 W. Ogden Ave., Berwyn, IL 60402
- 9501 S. Cicero, Oak Lawn, IL 60453
- 3132 N. Harlem, Chicago, IL 60634
- 10339 W. Grand Ave, Franklin Park, IL 60131
- 3212 W. Addison St., Chicago, IL 60618
- 7912 S. Pulaski Rd., Chicago, IL 60652
- 5618 W. North Ave., Chicago, IL 60639
- 4750 W. 63rd St., Chicago, IL 60629
- 1550 E. 79th St., Chicago IL 60619
- 7900 S. Harlem, Bridgeview, IL 60455
- 1879 Indianapolis Blvd., Whiting, IN 46394
- 4632 Calumet Ave., Hammond, IN 46327
- 14700 S. Cicero Ave., Midlothian, IL 60445
- 6517 Calumet Ave., Hammond, IN 46324
- 1219 Lake St., Aurora, IL 60506
- 6059 S. LaGrange Rd., Countryside, IL 60525
- 306 W. North Ave., Villa Park, IL 60181
- 701 W. 14th St., Chicago Hts, IL 60411
- 15801 S. Harlem Ave., Orland Park, IL 60462
- 18250 S. Halsted St., Homewood, IL 60430
- 1 E. 81st Ave., Merrillville, IN 46410
- 440 W. Ridge Rd., Griffith, IN 46319
- 1551 River Oaks Dr., Calumet City, IL 60409
- 2555 W. 95th St., Evergreen Park, IL 60805
- 120 S. Bolingbrook Dr., Bolingbrook, IL 60440
- 1100 W. Golf Rd., Hoffman Estates, IL 60194
- 11050 S. Halsted, Chicago, IL 60628
- 1803 W. Jefferson Ave., Joliet, IL 60435
- 110 W. North Ave., Carol Stream, IL 60188
- 1204 75th St., Downers Grove, IL 60516
- 1400 W. 79th St., Chicago, IL 60620
- 3205 S. Ashland, Chicago, IL 60608
- 9450 S. Jeffery Ave., Chicago, IL 60617
- 800 W. Lincoln Hwy., Schererville, IN 46375
- 6901 S. Western Ave., Chicago, IL 60636
- 10301 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60628
- 2209 South Cicero Ave., Cicero, IL 60804
- 5940 North Ridge Ave., Chicago, IL 60660
- 6290 Grand Ave., Gurnee, IL 60031
- 2140 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago, IL 60616
- 3457 S. King Drive, Chicago, IL 60616
- 15902 S. Kedzie Ave., Markham, IL 60428
- 840 W. North Ave., Melrose Park, IL 60160
- 1400 E. Sibley Blvd., Dolton, IL 60419
- 9600 Calumet Ave., Munster, IN 46321*
- 2356 W. Roosevelt Rd., Chicago IL 60608
- 1583 N. State Route 50, Bourbonnais, IL 60914
- 153 Morthland Dr., Valparaiso, IN 46383*
- 101 East U.S. Hwy. 20, Michigan City, IN 46360*
- 9550 W. 191st St., Mokena, IL 60448
- 3901 W. Madison St., Chicago, IL 60624
- 1550-58 Garfield Blvd., Chicago IL 60609
- 4 E. Roosevelt Rd., Lombard, IL 60148
- 3956 Guthrie, East Chicago, IN 46312*
- 7550 N. Harlem Ave., Chicago, IL 60631
- 1304 Broadway, Gary, IN 46407
- 11730 75th St., Kenosha, WI 53142
- 211 W. Roosevelt Rd., Maywood, IL 60153
- 2110 Army Trail Rd., Addison, IL 60101
- 2231 S.R. 59, Plainfield, IL 60586
- 525 Indian Boundary Rd., Chesterton,
IN 46304* - 12640 W. 143rd, Homer Glen, IL 60491
- 6646 S. Halsted, Chicago, IL 60621
- 10555 Harlem, Chicago Ridge, IL 60415
- 1265 W. Normantown Rd., Romeoville, IL 60446
- 241 N. Randall Rd., Lake-in-The Hills, IL 60156
- 3001 Belvidere Rd., Waukegan, IL 60085
- 21049 South Cicero Ave., Matteson, IL 60443
- 7996 East Ridge Rd., Hobart, IN 46342
- 12156 S. Cicero Ave., Alsip, IL 60803
- 2340 Rt. 34, Oswego, IL 60543
- 7921 Indianapolis Blvd., Hammond, IN 46324
- 401 E. Lincoln Hwy., New Lenox, IL 60451
- 1800 Oakton Ave., Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
New Jersey
- 307 Elizabeth Ave., Newark, NJ 07112
- 600 Westfield Ave., Elizabeth, NJ 07208
- 1341 Main Ave., Clifton, NJ 07011
- 9271 Kennedy Blvd., North Bergen, NJ 07047
- 467 Central Ave., Orange, NJ 07050
- 2995 Kennedy Blvd., Jersey City, NJ 07306
- 987 U.S. Hwy. 9, South Amboy, NJ 08879
- 8 LaFayette Rd., Metuchen, NJ 08840
- 2458 Rt. 22, Union, NJ 07083
- 37 State Rt. 17, Hasbrouck Hts., NJ 07604
- 247 Hwy. 35 N., Eatontown, NJ 07724
- 366-68 US Hwy. 22, Green Brook, NJ 08812
- 5151 Stelton Rd., South Plainfield, NJ 07080
- 132 Rt. 37 East, Toms River, NJ 08753
- 642-654 Broadway, Newark, NJ 07104
- 480 Lyons Ave., Irvington, NJ 07111
- 680 Somerset St., New Brunswick, NJ 08901
- 220 Broadway, Paterson, NJ 07501
- 2001 Edgar Rd., Linden, NJ 07036
- 3810 Kennedy Blvd., Union City, NJ 07087
- 310 Bergen Tnpk., Little Ferry, NJ 07643
- 2151 U.S. Hwy. 9, Howell, NJ 07731
- 1113 U.S. Highway 46, Ledgewood, NJ 07852
- 951-957 S. Orange Ave., East Orange, NJ 07018
- 1335-1341 South Ave., Plainfield, NJ 07062
- 2077 Route 1, Rahway, NJ 07065
- 1280 MacArthur Rd., Whitehall, PA 18052
- 1306 Rt. 22, Phillipsburg, NJ 08865
- 645 Highway 18, East Brunswick, NJ 08816
- 245 N. Main Street, Forked River, NJ 08731
- 4053 US Route 1, S. Brunswick, NJ 08852
New York
- 550 E. Fordham Rd., Bronx, NY 10458
- 2701 Boston Rd., Bronx, NY 10467
- 213-17 Northern Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361
- 490 Sunrise Hwy, Lynbrook, L.I., NY 11563
- 88-08 Northern Blvd., Jackson Hts, NY 11372
- 19 Hempstead Tpke., W. Hempstead, NY 11552
- 89-03 57th Ave., Elmhurst, NY 11373
- 846 Lefferts Blvd., Brooklyn, NY 11213
- 43-02 Queens Blvd., Sunnyside, NY 11104
- 3101 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11208
- 1677 Bruckner Blvd., Bronx, NY 10472
- 1831 Webster Ave., Bronx, NY 10457
- 6207 Sunrise Hwy., Massapequa, NY 11758
- 540 Walt Whitman Rd., Huntington Station, NY 11747
- 2237 Jericho Tpke., Commack, L.I., NY 11725
- 2201 Middle Country Rd., Centereach, NY 11720
- 136 West Rt. 59, Nanuet, NY 10954
- 900 Pennsylvania Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11207
- 3663 Boston Rd., Bronx, NY 10466
- 112-11 Springfield Blvd., Queens Village, NY 11429
- 257 South Broadway, Yonkers, NY 10705
- 9808 Rockaway Blvd., Ozone Park, NY 11417
- 175-28 Hillside Ave., Jamaica, NY 11432
- 2900 E. Tremont Ave., Bronx, NY 10461
- 931 Westchester Ave., Bronx, NY 10459
- 2221 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10306
- 2092-2094 7th Ave., Manhattan, NY 10027
- 351 E. 103rd St., Manhattan, NY 10029
- 786 Suffolk Ave., Brentwood, NY 11717
- 1545 Myrtle Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11237
- 265 Broadhollow Rd., Farmingdale, NY 11735
- 1690 Deer Park Ave., Deer Park, NY 11729
- 2238 Forest Ave., Staten Island, NY 10303
What was said:
David Lee, Chief Operations Officer at Impossible Foods, said:
“Our partnership with White Castle is a major milestone for Impossible Foods,”
“It’s an indication that we’re becoming as accessible, affordable, and available as our customers demand.”
White Castle Chief Marketing Officer Kim Bartley said:
“When we did our tastings, the Impossible burger was the product that seemed to have the greatest appeal.”
“We don’t know where this will go – a majority of people aren’t demanding this – but there is an interest there.”
Why it matters:
This is a big deal for vegetarian and vegan customers, as it will allow them to get their hands on an Impossible burger at a cost-friendly price. Until now, Impossible burgers have only been available at dine-in restaurants at a cost. However, the White Castle Impossible burger sliders will cost $1.99 for two.
Healthy lifestyles like vegetarianism and veganism continue to increase in popularity. Sales of plant-based food increased by 8.1% in the US in 2017.
