Impossible Whopper Increases Traffic

The Impossible Whopper appears to be a draw. Foot traffic for Burger King locations in St. Louis, the test market for the chain's plant-based Impossible Whopper, exceeded the chain’s national average by 18.5% last month, a report from inMarket inSights says. And traffic in the St. Louis stores was more than 16% higher in April than in March, when the burger wasn't yet available, per CNBC. Now, the chain says it will make the Impossible Whopper available nationwide this year. "These next-generation, plant-based alternatives are in position to disrupt the meat category in a similar fashion that plant-based milks disrupted dairy and energy drinks disrupted caffeinated beverages," a market analyst's research note said Tuesday.

It's a success story for the company that makes the whopper patty, too. Impossible Foods has had trouble keeping up with demand but is adding hours and workers at its plant in Oakland, per CNBC. Impossible is working with Little Caesars on a plant-based sausage for pizza. In its latest round of funding, Impossible raised $300 million. (Little Caesars plans a trial run for its pizza with plant-based sausage.)