It tastes bland, has the texture of meat, but could be easily improved with a hunk of red onion and a slice of cheese.
That's what Vancouver's vegetarian connoisseurs are saying about the new McVeggie Burger, now being quietly test-marketed in Canada's most granola-friendly city.
As it tries to offer more healthy choices and move away from its greasy quarter-pounder past, McDonald's of Canada has started selling its first low-fat, soy-based vegetarian product at 31 selected restaurants in the Lower Mainland (and one veggie friendly neighbourhood in Toronto.) If the 45-day trial period is a success, the company plans to make the McVeggie Burger available across the country later this year.
"It's pretty much what I expected," said Glen Delukas, a waiter and cook at Naam restaurant, Vancouver's oldest and most famous vegetarian restaurant. "It's not too spicy," Mr. Delukas noted with an approving nod, as he swallowed a mouthful of the thin patty, which costs $3.20, contains seven grams of fat (compared with 30 grams for a standard hamburger), and is served with pickles, ketchup and lettuce, on a whole-wheat bun.
"I'd order one, but I'd ask for some Filet 'o Fish sauce and maybe some hot mustard on the side. With the right condiments, it could work."
Company spokeswoman Maureen Shaughnessy-Kits said customer response has been "terrific," adding that the new product was prompted by consumer demand for more light menu options. "We're always looking for new tastes and trends."
Although a vegetarian burger has been available at McDonald's outlets in Europe and select U.S. cities for several years, Ms. Shaughnessy-Kits says Canada was looking for its own supplier. It's only a coincidence, she says, that the McVeggie Burger supplier, Yves Veggie Cuisine of Vancouver, is located in the same city as the test market.
She says a number of healthy offerings are currently being tested across the country, including a new line of salads in London, Ont.
Lindsay Meredith, a marketing professor at Simon Fraser University, says it's no surprise that McDonald's would test drive its new product with discerning vegetarians in health-conscious Vancouver, where Yves tofu dogs are already a red-hot seller for street-corner vendors downtown. "This is not beef-loving Alberta. The veggie burger will do very well here."
He stresses, however, that the McVeggie Burger must be viewed in the larger context of McDonald's attempt to go "green" and improve its image.
"The company must have recognized that there are a lot of parents out there who could have been good McDonald's customers, but weren't having any part of the fast-food culture. Now when the kids are screaming and stomping, Mom has a reason to give in."
McDonald's, which released its first ever social responsibility report earlier this month, does not have a very good history with the green crowd. Recall the high-profile "McLibel case" in Britain a few years back in which vegetarian activists charged that the food heightened risk of heart disease.
Counter staff at the restaurant said the McVeggie Burgers were selling like, well, Big Macs. "We're moving about 50 to 70 a day," said one employee.
Alexandra Gill