VICTORY: Starbucks Confirms Plant-Based Breakfast Patty

OCTOBER, 2020 UPDATE: Starbucks begins testing an ALL-VEGAN breakfast sandwich in one location outside of Seattle

Tell Starbucks you can’t wait for a nationwide rollout with a quick tweet in appreciation today.

Just days after hinting at exploring vegan protein, Starbucks has confirmed it will offer a vegan breakfast patty on its U.S. and Canada menus this year.

In today’s earnings call, COO Roz Brewer said, “We will be introducing a breakfast sandwich this year with a plant-based patty both in US and Canada, and the combination of those pairings is significant for us in terms of how we think about what the customers [are] asking for us to develop.”

This massive victory will put a plant-based meal front and center for the chain’s 75 million monthly U.S. customers–and millions more in Canada. It comes after years of Animal Outlook campaigning with journalist Jane Velez-Mitchell for the coffee giant to offer compassionate vegan fare to pair with its non-dairy beverages–including feedback from the more than 30,000 of you who have signed our petition.

The new breakfast patty will finally bring to fruition a commitment the chain has been making for years: In 2018, in response to Animal Outlook’s in-person request at Starbucks’ annual shareholder meeting, the chain pledged a new vegan food line. But after rolling out a vegan macadamia oat cookie, Starbucks quietly discontinued it. Then, in 2019, an Animal Outlook representative was again told that we’ll “continue to see work come from [Starbucks] in that area.” 

Over the last few years, select cities have been able to enjoy a vegan cupcake (Miami), Dream Pops ice cream bars (LA), and protein-packed lentil bowls (DC, SF, NYC, and others) from Starbucks, but the vast majority of Starbucks’ US customers seeking kinder, sustainable treats were often limited to oatmeal or chips (although Starbucks UK has made much greater strides, with a variety of offerings from sandwiches to mac and cheese).

With your help, Jane Velez-Mitchell and Animal Outlook have kept the pressure on, from flooding Starbucks website with requests for vegan sweets on holidays like National Cupcake Day, to starting a buzzworthy social media campaign using Starbucks’ cups and appearing inside and outside the coffee giant’s annual meetings.

Finally, Starbucks has heard the buzz, following in its its competitor Dunkin’s footsteps with a veggie breakfast patty and putting compassion at millions of coffee lovers’ fingertips.

Will it be a Beyond patty, or maybe Starbucks’ longtime business partner Nestlé’s new Awesome Burger? Tell Starbucks you can’t wait to find out with a quick tweet in appreciation today.