BC Business
A&W put the Beyond Burger on the menu—and it stayed there
What’s innovative about flipping burgers? Well, what if those burgers aren’t made with meat? In the fall of 2018, A&W Food Services of Canada became the first fast-food chain in North America to add plant protein-based Beyond Meat patties to its menu, and unlike another chain with strong Canadian ties, Tim Hortons, they stayed there.
But this was just one in a series of moves under the leadership of president and CEO Susan Senecal designed to make A&W‘s 950 outlets known as the greenest, healthiest fast-food option in the country. Before that, the chain switched to beef raised without hormones or steroids and chicken without antibiotics, eggs from grain-fed hens and organic Fairtrade coffeeall served in reusable mugs and ceramic plates or biodegradable takeout packaging. The company’s test kitchen in North Vancouver, the A&W Innovation Centre, even runs on renewable biogas.