Hardee’s announced it will be partnering with Beyond Meat as one of the first U.S. quick-service restaurants to offer plant-based breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. In keeping with the brand’s innovative heritage of offering new twists on classic favorites, Hardee’s will be testing a new Beyond Breakfast Sausage Biscuit and an Original Beyond Thickburger for a limited-time in two regional markets—Raleigh, North Carolina, and Kansas City, Missouri, beginning October 16.
To celebrate the launch, Hardee’s will offer customers a free Beyond Breakfast Sausage Biscuit, during breakfast hours, or Original Beyond Thickburger, during lunch and dinner hours, with the purchase of a large drink on Monday, October 28, at participating Hardee’s locations in Raleigh and Kansas City, while supplies last.
CKE, the parent company of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., was an early entrant into the plant-based space. In December 2018, Carl’s Jr. became one of Beyond Meat’s largest U.S. plant-based, quick service partners with the launch of the Beyond Famous Star. With more than 4.5 million Beyond Famous Stars sold to-date, Hardee’s has taken key insights from the Carl’s Jr. launch and applied them to the test at Hardee’s restaurants, including testing breakfast, lunch and dinner.
“Core to our brand DNA, at Hardee’s we’re always looking to offer new and innovative menu items that bring our customers the hand-crafted quality they know and love. The new test of Beyond Meat products for the Hardee’s menu is bringing today’s consumers the innovation they crave, morning, noon and night,” says Jenna Folk, senior director of brand marketing, Hardee’s. “We’re kicking off the plant-based test in two markets with a strong college presence—we know college campuses and Gen Z specifically are helping to drive bold new conversations and lead culinary trends of the future, like the flexitarian diet. Knowing Beyond Meat is the market leader in the category, and with the tremendous success we’ve had at Carl’s Jr., we’re thrilled to expand the partnership in select Hardee’s restaurants.”
Hardee’s is prioritizing the quality flavors that the brand is known for by pairing innovative Beyond Meat offerings with the restaurants No. 1 selling, Made From Scratch Biscuits for breakfast and the signature Charbroil cooking-style for its burgers. The Original Beyond Thickburger includes a Beyond Burger patty, Charbroiled in Hardee’s signature style, and topped with lettuce, tomato, red onion, dill pickles, ketchup, mustard and mayo on a toasted premium bun. The Beyond Breakfast Sausage Biscuit includes a delicious Beyond Breakfast Sausage patty on Hardee’s Made From Scratch Biscuits, and both can be customized when ordering.
“Hardee’s has a strong heritage across the Southeast and their desire to offer the Beyond Burger and Beyond Breakfast Sausage reflects an important shift in the demand for plant-based meat,” said Ethan Brown, CEO and Founder, Beyond Meat. “We’re excited to make plant-based options accessible in more and more communities as we move toward a better-for-you, more sustainable future.”
Both the Original Beyond Thickburger®, starting at $5.99, and the Beyond Breakfast Sausage™ Biscuit, starting at $2.99, will be available in participating Hardee’s restaurants in Raleigh, NC and Kansas City, MO beginning October 16, 2019. Price and participation may vary.
