Burger King Indonesia Launches Plant-Based Whopper With The Vegetarian Butcher

Burger King Indonesia has become the latest to hop on the Plant-Based Whopper bandwagon, launching the new meatless patty in Jakarta this month before expanding to all 175 outlets nationwide. Partnering with Unilever-owned The Vegetarian Butcher for the new vegetarian-friendly menu item, Burger King says that the response from consumers has been “amazing”. 

Fast food giant Burger King has launched the Plant-Based Whopper in Indonesia, made with a vegan beef patty supplied by Unilever subsidiary The Vegetarian Butcher. Topped with egg-based mayonnaise, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles and ketchup, the new vegetarian burger option first landed last Friday (May 7) across Burger King locations in the Jakarta metropolitan region. 

Burger King Indonesia is planning to roll out the new plant-based burger across all 175 locations in the country later next month, around mid-June. The franchise in Indonesia is operated by Sari Burger Indonesia (SBI).

Sold for 45,000 IDR (US$3.15) at price parity with its animal-based counterpart, Burger King Indonesia’s move is yet another step in the direction of making sustainable meat-free choices affordable and accessible to mass consumers. 

Commenting on the launch, Burger King Indonesia CEO Vaibhav Punj wrote in a social media post: “Super kicked on the launch of our Plant based Whopper in Indonesia. It’s just amazing the response we’ve got from our guests.”

“Just two years back, I would have laughed off the idea of a plant-based offering by a burger chain in Indonesia. Not any more,” Punj continued. 

The restaurant chain began teasing the launch of the Plant-Based Whopper last week, when it posted several promotional videos across its social media platforms, garnering huge attention online, including from Indonesian actress Marsha Risdasari who commented on Burger King Indonesia’s Instagram post. 

“Vegan burger yasshhh [sic],” wrote Risdasari. Though the original Plant-Based Whopper is not vegan-friendly, customers can remove mayonnaise to make the burger fully animal-free, though Burger King does add that the patties are still cooked on the same grill as other meat-based menu items. 

The news comes after a number of other Burger King franchises around the world have added vegan and vegetarian offerings to their menus, the latest being Burger King U.K., debuting a Vegan Royale chicken burger and Plant-Based Whopper across the country – also in partnership with The Vegetarian Butcher. Both options are 100% vegan, cooked separately from meat dishes, and certified by the Vegan Society. 

Other Burger King markets that have collaborated with The Vegetarian Butcher to launch meat-free items include China, United Arab Emirates and across Europe. 

In Canada, Burger King worked with food tech giant Impossible Foods to bring the Impossible Whopper to outlets nationwide, while Australian startup v2food supplies the Plant-Based Whopper in South Korea, Japan, the Philippines and Thailand.

V2food also supplies its plant-based patties in New Zealand, where the burger is branded the Rebel Whopper, and at Burger King sister franchise Hungry Jack’s in Australia. 

Lead image courtesy of Burger King Indonesia / designed by Green Queen Media.