“The choice of Portugal to open the first Vegan concept restaurant in the Iberian Peninsula is another example of the importance of the Portuguese market for the brand worldwide.”

Burger King has made its Portugal restaurant at Rua de Belém in Lisbon 100% vegan.

It will be the fast chain’s first fully vegan restaurant in the Iberian peninsula.

The vegan venue opened on 4th November.

In the month-long pop-up, the chain will offer customers vegan versions of classics such as the Whopper, Big King, and Long Chicken, created in partnership with The Vegetarian Butcher.

Everything on the menu is vegan

Jorge Carvalho is the general manager of BK Spain & Portugal. He said: “We have eliminated all animal products from our kitchen to ensure food safety.”

“The cheese and bacon are vegan, the desserts, the mayonnaise, and even the restaurant materials, such as cups, wipes, packaging, and bags, were carefully selected.”

To embrace its green vibe, the restaurant has also received a makeover. The walls and ceilings are painted in shades of green and white. Plus, a vertical garden and 100% vegan and 100% tasty blurbs deck the walls to highlight BK’s pledge to go 50% plant-based by 2030.

“With this trial, the idea is to see how the public reacts. Everything will depend on consumers’ responses and, therefore, on sales. If it goes well, we want to replicate the concept in Spain and other Portuguese cities. To reach everyone, we can’t just stay in Lisbon,” Carvalho added.

“The choice of Portugal to open the first Vegan concept restaurant in the Iberian Peninsula is another example of the importance of the Portuguese market for the brand worldwide.”

 Fast food embraces plants

Burger King has been going strong on its meatless mission.  

Apart from Lisbon, Burger King recently opened an all-vegan site in Bristol. It came after the flagship restaurant in Leicester Square, London, was transformed into a fully vegan outpost for one month in March.

Austria, Spain, and Switzerland have also hosted vegan Burger King pop-ups in 2021.

Furthermore, the international fast-food chain has introduced plant-based burgers in more than 70 countries.

Many international Burger King franchises have started adding plant-based options to their menus permanently.

Most recently, Israel added plant-based products under the fast-food chain’s banner.

Earlier this month, it announced that it will roll out beef-free patties and vegan chicken nuggets made by local alternative protein producer Meat. The End (MTE) in the coming weeks.

In August, Burger King Germany announced that it had started to offer vegan versions of everything on its standard menu.  All the meatless menu items feature plant-based meat from the Dutch brand The Vegetarian Butcher.

Similarly in Austria, the chain introduced a promotion that allows customers to choose between “regular or meat-based” when ordering burgers in a bid to normalize plant-based eating.

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Mohsina Dodhiya

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