McDonald’s Nearly Doubles Its Meatless Beyond Burger Trial in Canada

Starting on January 14, McDonald’s Canada will expand the trial of its plant-based burger to 52 restaurants in Southwestern Ontario. The P.L.T., which stands for Plant, Lettuce, and Tomato, includes the vegan Beyond Burger patty with tomato, lettuce, pickles, onions, ketchup, mustard, mayo-style sauce, and a slice of processed cheddar cheese on a sesame-seed bun (which can be ordered vegan by omitting the mayo-style sauce and cheese). The P.L.T. first launched in Canada last September in 28 restaurants in the London, Ontario area. The test is being expanded in the Southwestern Ontario region to include select locations in Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph, and surrounding areas for 12 weeks. The full list of participating restaurants can be found on the McDonald’s Canada website. “The initial test of the P.L.T. allowed us to learn more about guest demand and how to integrate this new menu item into restaurant kitchen operations, while delivering the P.L.T. to our guests with the level of quality and craveability they know and love from McDonald’s,” McDonald’s Canada chef Jeff Anderson said. “As a test and learn company, the McDonald’s expansion of the P.L.T. into more restaurants in the Southwestern Ontario region will help us learn more about our guests’ tastes while continuing to provide variety within our menu.” Last month, analysts from financial institution Union Bank of Switzerland estimated that if McDonald’s expanded its P.L.T. to its 14,000 United States locations, it could sell as many as 250 million meatless burgers annually.