Del Taco Debuts Vegan Beyond Meat on Its Menu

Beyond Meat is taking the world by storm! Starting this week, the company’s Beyond Beef Crumbles will be offered at two Del Taco locations in Los Angeles. The restaurant plans to serve the vegan meat option nationwide at all 564 locations. Del Taco will be the first drive-thru restaurant in the United States to offer Beyond Meat products.

Del Taco is offering the crumbles in two prepared menu items: the Beyond Avocado and the Beyond Taco. But customers can order the vegan meat in any meat-based dish.

Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown wrote in an announcement:

For my kids and their friends, Del Taco is a routine stop after games or practice. I’m thrilled that they can now, along with Del Taco customers, enjoy delicious Beyond Tacos and other entrées built with our delicious, sustainable, plant-based meat.

Del Taco is also the first Mexican fast-food restaurant to serve Beyond Meat products. And these menu items can easily be made vegan by opting for no cheese.

But Del Taco is hardly the first restaurant to offer Beyond Meat’s products. This past July, the Beyond Burger debuted at A&W locations throughout Canada, and it rapidly sells out due to popularity.

And it’s not just A&W that has partnered with the company. Chains like Veggie Grill and TGI Fridays serve Beyond Meat’s products, while Beyond Meat plans to distribute the Beyond Burger in 50 countries across six continents. The burgers—loaded with 20 grams of protein—are gluten- and soy-free, “bleed” pulverized beet juice, and have the look, smell, and taste of meat.

It’s no surprise that Beyond Meat had to open a second facility (and hire hundreds of people) to keep up with the growing demand for its delicious vegan products.

By garnering investments from the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Bill Gates and selling its vegan products next to their animal-based counterparts at supermarkets, Beyond Meat is changing the game. Even Tyson Foods, the country’s largest meat producer, knows that Beyond Meat is a challenge to the industry. Tyson invested an undisclosed amount for a 5 percent stake in Beyond Meat in 2016 and invested again the following year. In a 2017 article, Fast Company explained:

Since its launch in May 2016, the Beyond Burger has become the most successful item on Beyond Meat’s roster, thanks to the company’s efforts to get the vegan burger placed in grocery store meat cases alongside ground beef. In the past year, Beyond Meat has partnered with major grocers and distributors including Safeway, Kroger, and Sysco to get its frozen products into 12,000 stores (the burger is currently in 3,500 outlets).

With consumers increasingly aware of the egregious animal cruelty, environmental damage, and alarming health concerns inherent in meat consumption, it’s no surprise that more people are ditching animal-based products for vegan meat alternatives.

Haven’t tried Beyond Meat’s products yet? What are you waiting for?! Find out where you can purchase them to try at home.

Looking to ditch animal products altogether? Download our FREE Vegetarian Starter Guide for tips, tricks, vegan recipes, and much more.