- Taco Bell comes in first, also thanks to their wide vegan-friendly range
- McDonald’s is second despite not having many options
- Panera and Starbucks are third and fourth
Taco Bell is the most searched fast food for vegan-friendly options, a new study reveals.
The research by meal kit comparison site Meal Delivery Experts, analyzed Google searches for the most popular American fast-food chains combined with keywords such as ‘vegan menu’ and ‘vegan options’, to discover which restaurant is the most popular for its plant-based menu items.
Taco Bell takes the first spot, with 16,600 average monthly searches. Taco Bell offers quite a few vegan options, with the chance to slightly modify some dishes to make them plant-based, for example the Black Bean Crunchy-wrap, which is already vegetarian and can be rendered vegan by removing the sour cream and cheese, as well as tacos and burritos, filled with beans, guacamole, salsa, and Taco Bell’s vegan cheese sauce.
Second, on the list is McDonald’s with 8,650 monthly searches. The chain’s popularity is undoubtedly, but there are not many vegan-friendly options. Apart from some classics like fries and the garden salad (from which you can remove the cheese), McDonald’s has made available for limited periods the McPlant, filled with a Beyond Burger patty.
Panera comes in third by a whisker, with 8,370 average monthly searches. Panera’s website has a page dedicated to the ways you can customize their dishes to be vegan friendly, for example by removing the feta or the greek yogurt from their Baka and Mediterranean Bowls, and by removing the chicken and gorgonzola from their Fuji Apple Salad.
Further down on the list there’s Starbucks in fourth place, with 7,940 average monthly searches. Starbucks’ plant-based options are famous nationwide, as the chain quickly and smartly adjusted its menu for the growing market, offering now four different milk substitutes, five ‘main’ food options, such as the Impossible Breakfast Sandwich, and plenty of snacks.
The top five closes with Panda Express and its 7,480 average monthly searches. The Asian food chain offers a number of vegan-friendly options, among which there are Vegetable Spring Rolls, Super Greens, Eggplant Tofu, Plain Chow Mein, Steamed Rice, and most sauces. Even the fortune cookies are vegan!
| Top 10 most searched fast food vegan options | ||
| Rank | Restaurant name | Average monthly number of searches |
| 1 | Taco Bell | 16,600 |
| 2 | McDonald’s | 8,650 |
| 3 | Panera | 8,370 |
| 4 | Starbucks | 7,940 |
| 5 | Panda Express | 7,480 |
| 6 | KFC | 7,100 |
| 7 | Chipotle | 6,150 |
| 8 | Burger King | 5,330 |
| 9 | Subway | 4,950 |
| 10 | Chick-Fil-A | 4,370 |
A spokesperson for Meal Delivery Experts commented on the findings: “As part of the American population has started to adjust its diet to newfound needs and wants, restaurants need to keep up in order to satisfy the demand for plant-based and vegan-friendly options.
“Fast food chains are no different, as tasty vegan meals shouldn’t be only limited to fancy and expensive restaurants, but should be available for everybody, at reasonable prices without giving up on the flavor.”
The analysis was conducted by MealDeliveryExperts.com, which analyzes, reviews, and compares meal kit providers in the US.
