September has been a feast for vegans, as carnivores eat their words over the tastiness of vegetarian food, and theme parks and tourist attractions race to offer more options.
Both Walt Disney World and SeaWorld’s theme parks across the country have made splashy commitments this month to offer plant-based meals at all their restaurants. And even cruise lines are getting on board with the idea of vegetarian comfort food among their vast buffets.
Disney said Tuesday that starting next week, vegan meals would be available at all of its restaurants and quick-meal hubs at Walt Disney World in Florida, and by next spring at Disneyland Resort in California. Visitors will be able to identify the dishes by a green-leaf icon on menus.
And just last week, SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, the parent company of Busch Gardens, Sesame Place and the water parks Aquatica and Adventure Island, announced that it is adding the Impossible Burger to menus at all 12 of its theme parks across the country.
The world’s busiest tourist attractions offer further proof that the popularity of plant-based products is not just a fad.
Cruise ships are adding falafel and plant-based cuisine to their surf and turf buffets. Regent Seven Seas Cruises just last week announced that by this fall, the luxury-class line is giving passengers more than 200 new reasons to feel less guilty about bellying up to the taco bar while on vacation. Regent’s menu makeover came not long after its luxury-class competitor, Oceania Cruises, announced plant-based pushes, as did Royal Caribbean and Celebrity.
It makes for good publicity, but it’s good for the bottom line too. Impossible Foods, maker of products that look and taste like real meat, has estimated that 95 percent of its customers are omnivores. Research released in August from the Canadian non-profit foundation Angus Reid found that among non-vegetarians who have tried the latest line of plant-based meat, 75 percent said they liked or loved the taste.
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Disney officials say guests have embraced vegan offerings on its menus around the globe, inspiring the company to offer more options. And both SeaWorld and Busch Gardens have offered vegan meals and burgers from the Impossible line of faux meat products to great success at their food and wine festivals in recent years.
“The Impossible Burger was initially introduced to guests as a part of our popular Seven Seas and Food & Wine festivals," said Christopher Ivy, corporate vice president of In-Park Revenue and Strategic Partnerships at SeaWorld. "The response to the burger was so favorable we’ve now added it to our year-round park menus, offering additional options to our already growing list of plant-based and healthier food offerings.”
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Disney said in its announcement that it will offer more than 400 new vegan dishes to cover every dining venue in its U.S. theme parks and resorts. The vegan meals won’t have animal meat, dairy, eggs or honey. They will be made from vegetables, fruit, nuts, grains and legumes.
You can already get a vegan meal at the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The Felucian Garden Spread is a Middle Eastern dish that even meat eaters have been digging because of its herb hummus and tomato-cucumber relish served on a pita with the Impossible brand’s vegetarian meatballs called “kefta.”
The Impossible Burger has taken the country by storm, offering comparable flavor and as much protein as a typical 80/20 beef burger, with no cholesterol.
“Not only is it important that we integrate sustainable products and practices into our operations across all SeaWorld properties, but we have to satisfy our guests with a broad selection of healthy dining options — of which the Impossible Burger is an exciting addition,” SeaWorld CEO Gus Antorcha said in a company statement.
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More vegan options coming soon to Disney World include the Savory Hot Pot at Epcot’s Rose & Crown Pub and a Maple-Chipotle Barbecue-Braised Jackfruit Dip at the Whispering Canyon Cafe inside Disney’s Wilderness Resort.
As part of the Impossible Burger rollout across its parks, SeaWorld is donating 10 percent of the proceeds of every Impossible Burger sold through Sept. 30 to the SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, the company announced, “in honor of the positive impact Impossible Foods is making on the planet and the animals that call it home."
Meanwhile, Disneyland in California, which offers an all-you-can-eat, plant-based skillet of vegan sausage, beefless tips, jackfruit and vegetarian chicken, was named America’s Most Vegan-Friendly Amusement Park in February by PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
“Once upon a time, theme park food meant hamburgers, hot dogs and turkey legs," PETA said in announcing the award. "Times have changed, and so have menus.”
RELATED: Disney, Busch Gardens offer fall ticket deals for Florida residents.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
