Photo: Instagram/BeyondMeat
Have you ever heard of Luna Grill? Chances are if you aren’t a California resident you haven’t. But folks out in California most likely know it well as it is a fast-casual chain. And they’ve been talked about recently as they’ve introduced the high-tech Beyond Burger. Which is, according to Grub Street, is made with “tons of dairy, just like any other non-vegan sandwich.” Grub Street also reveals that the “extremely trendy” meat alternative debuted this week at 43 Luna Grill locations, and the burger comes with “grilled onions, lettuce, and tomato, ‘spicy feta” and oh yeah, it’s cooked in a ton of butter.
But there’s one problem: vegans aren’t happy with it. Mainly because Luna’s refuses to make a vegan-version of the burger. A Twitter user, who appropriately goes by @veganpolice, tweeted this:
“Not able to prepare vegan style”
I asked them if it’d be vegan if I got it without the feta. They said no because they fry it on a buttery pan. I asked if they could use no butter. They said it’d take too long to wash the pan. What good is a beyond burger if it isn’t vegan? pic.twitter.com/4ZTGojvvGc— Ⓥanilla bean (@veganpoIice) April 2, 2018
And since the vegan world got word of this they weren’t happy about it:
I’m lactose intolerant I always ask for no butter or cheese. This is ridiculous that they can’t accommodate the customer.
— TinaVB (@SnookiLoveDolls) April 4, 2018
Why would they alienate their own market like this? I’d be so mad!
— Blinky (@ChloeeSucks) April 3, 2018
Because I needed another reason to avoid Luna Grill. So lame
— Korey (@KoreyPaul7) April 4, 2018
And that was enough for Luna Grill to announce this:
Vegan Beyond Burger Launches in 43 Luna Grill Locations https://t.co/dzqWdbvGT0
— Vegan Food (@veganfood_en) April 4, 2018
And yet vegans still weren’t buying it:
This burger at Luna Grill is cooked in butter, and topped with a sauce that contains feta cheese. The Beyond Meat burger itself is vegan, but the way it’s served at Luna Grill is not vegan.
— Lisa Vollrath (@lisavollrath) April 4, 2018
Here we share everything related to veganism. If you do not like it, do not come and criticize our work. Thanks for the access.
— Vegan Food (@veganfood_en) April 5, 2018
Oh boy, things are getting hostile between Luna’s and vegans. At the moment, Luna Grill offers a vegan option, but true vegans still aren’t happy with it. My solution? Perhaps vegans should avoid Luna Grill and take that time to tell more people that they are vegan.
What do you think of this? Is Luna Grill in the wrong? Or vegans?
