Live data from Hacker News

Burger King is introducing a vegetarian patty from the start-up Impossible Foods

nytimes.com

11–20 of 663 posts

Re: Burger King is introducing a vegetarian patty from the start-up Impossible Foods

#11
I tried the impossible burger and personally didn't notice a difference. The boyfriend tried a bite, and liked it, but could taste something off. I'm kinda excited to see where both the impossible burger goes, and where other restaurants take this.

Also for the price to come down, it was like $3 more than the boyfriend's burger

Re: Burger King is introducing a vegetarian patty from the start-up Impossible Foods

#12
post #3

> Burger King’s chief marketing officer, Fernando Machado, said that in the company’s testing so far, customers and even employees had not been able to tell the difference between the old meaty Whopper and the new one. Ugh. First: The vegetarians that I know don't like meat. So making a veggie burger that tastes like the thing they don't like is just dumb. Second: When I tasted an Impossible Burger, it was awful. It…

> Ugh. First: The vegetarians that I know don't like meat. So making a veggie burger that tastes like the thing they don't like is just dumb.

What about the other 95% of people you know who aren't vegetarians because they like meat a lot?

> Second: When I tasted an Impossible Burger, it was awful. It tasted like a horrible veggie burger.

Haven't had one myself, but the friends I've heard from (largely not vegetarians) have liked it better than that. Reserving judgement until I can get one.

> I personally reduced my meat consumption for environmental and health reasons, but when I want a burger, I get a burger.

It sounds like you're disagreeing with your own first point. "So making a veggie burger that tastes like the thing they don't like is just dumb," but (supposing they'd actually pulled that off) you're exactly the market who would eat it. Likes meat, wants a burger, reducing meat consumption for environmental and health reasons. Doesn't sound dumb to me.

Re: Burger King is introducing a vegetarian patty from the start-up Impossible Foods

#13
post #3

> Burger King’s chief marketing officer, Fernando Machado, said that in the company’s testing so far, customers and even employees had not been able to tell the difference between the old meaty Whopper and the new one. Ugh. First: The vegetarians that I know don't like meat. So making a veggie burger that tastes like the thing they don't like is just dumb. Second: When I tasted an Impossible Burger, it was awful. It…

"First: The vegetarians that I know don't like meat."

Hi, nice to meet you! Vegan for almost a decade, the smell of a burger on the grill in the summer gives me hella cravings. We exist.

"Second: When I tasted an Impossible Burger, it was awful. It tasted like a horrible veggie burger."

I'm jealous, you must not have ever eaten a truly horrible veggie burger. I had a Gardenburger in like 2005 that literally tasted like cardboard. The Impossible Burger is a miracle of science.

Re: Burger King is introducing a vegetarian patty from the start-up Impossible Foods

#14

I tried the impossible burger and personally didn't notice a difference. The boyfriend tried a bite, and liked it, but could taste something off. I'm kinda excited to see where both the impossible burger goes, and where other restaurants take this. Also for the price to come down, it was like $3 more than the boyfriend's burger

I'm hoping the Burger King trial goes well so we can get nationwide expansion, in large part to help bring the price down. That premium is still a little rough, Impossible is in a lot of restaurants but doesn't have the in-store presence that Beyond Meat has at the moment. Scale, scale, scale!

Re: Burger King is introducing a vegetarian patty from the start-up Impossible Foods

#16
Impossible burgers are awesome and I've had quite a few. It also really depends on how it's made and how it's dressed up - as with any burger. My only lingering issue is that it is a highly processed food, and psychologically it helps to know what you're eating.

Re: Burger King is introducing a vegetarian patty from the start-up Impossible Foods

#17
They're really decent tasting, and it's exciting as a gateway to vegetarianism. I personally like veggie burgers that don't try to be meat better, but there's still a market for meat-likes.

One thing that gets me though: They smell terrible. I've cooked them in my house and have to air the place out afterwards. It's like an awful chemical plant fart. I'll never cook one in my house again.

Re: Burger King is introducing a vegetarian patty from the start-up Impossible Foods

#18
post #3

> Burger King’s chief marketing officer, Fernando Machado, said that in the company’s testing so far, customers and even employees had not been able to tell the difference between the old meaty Whopper and the new one. Ugh. First: The vegetarians that I know don't like meat. So making a veggie burger that tastes like the thing they don't like is just dumb. Second: When I tasted an Impossible Burger, it was awful. It…

>The vegetarians that I know don't like meat. So making a veggie burger that tastes like the thing they don't like is just dumb.

As long as we're sharing anecdata, I've reduced my meat consumption for environmental and health reasons, too. And I would love to have a decent veggie burger option at more fast food places. If it's a perfect fascimile of beef, all the better.

On the other hand, I really enjoyed the old BK veggie burger. I think the Impossible Burger is good, too, but I'm not sure it's a step up for me so much as a horizontal change. But I do think it will be more appealling to more reluctant prospective veggie burger consumers, in which case, we all win.

Re: Burger King is introducing a vegetarian patty from the start-up Impossible Foods

#20
post #3

> Burger King’s chief marketing officer, Fernando Machado, said that in the company’s testing so far, customers and even employees had not been able to tell the difference between the old meaty Whopper and the new one. Ugh. First: The vegetarians that I know don't like meat. So making a veggie burger that tastes like the thing they don't like is just dumb. Second: When I tasted an Impossible Burger, it was awful. It…

> At the places that I've tried it, the staff usually apologize as I order it, and warn me that I probably won't like it. They all tell me that the ordinary veggie burger that they used to serve was better.

They're probably trying to prepare it like a veggie burger, which ruins it.

I've had the Impossible Burger a few times, and just like ground beef, you can make a good burger or a bad burger.

The places that it turned out well, they were aware that it was meant to be prepared like meat. I order it medium-rare, like I do with beef, and it comes out well.

Another place that I've been to still thinks it's a veggie patty. They end up cooking it until it's dry and disappointing.

Post reply on HN