Burger King is under fire for its sale and advertising of the “Impossible Whopper.” In a recent lawsuit and proposed class action, a vegan customer alleges Burger King “duped” him into buying the plant-based burger at a premium price despite the company grilling the patty together with meat burgers.
Burger King countered that it never advertised the “Impossible Whooper” as vegan and Williams should have asked how the Impossible Whopper was cooked before ordering one he claims was “coated in meat by-products” at an Atlanta drive-through.
Burger King said any reasonable customer would ask about its cooking methods, and, had Williams done “the smallest amount of investigation” on its website or in media reports, he would have known he could request an alternative cooking method.
The company’s “Impossible Whopper” advertisement on its website currently reads:
MPOSSIBLE™ WHOPPER®
100% Whopper, 0% beef.
Our Impossible™ WHOPPER® Sandwich features a savory flame-grilled patty made from plants topped with juicy tomatoes, fresh lettuce, creamy mayonnaise, ketchup, crunchy pickles, and sliced white onions on a soft sesame seed bun. 100% WHOPPER®, 0% Beef.
And includes the following notation:
*For guests looking for a meat-free option, a non-broiler method of preparation is available upon request..
Burger King said Williams “assumed that an Impossible Whopper would satisfy his own particularly strict form of veganism … solely because he asked a Burger King restaurant employee to ‘hold the mayo [. . . .]’” According to Burger King, “[t]his claim has no basis.”
The case is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida and is captioned as Williams v Burger King Corp, No. 19-24755.
