December 18, 2018 by Katherine Sullivan Publishedby

Is McDonald’s going McVegan? Following a decades-long PETA campaign, the fast-food chain appears to be done denying how massively popular animal-friendly foods are. Last month, the company added a vegan burger (just hold the mayo!) to the menu of its Chicago headquarters restaurant.

“[P]lant-based protein is something we’re keeping our eye on,” said Lucy Brady, the fast-food chain’s senior vice president of corporate strategy.

According to reports, McDonald’s took the most popular menu items from its overseas outlets and added them to its Chicago flagship eatery’s menu—this included the vegan McAloo Tikki burger from India.

The burger includes a toasted bun, a vegan patty made from potatoes, red onions, tomato slices, and seasoning reminiscent of samosas. Just be sure to specify no mayo.

Hearing that a vegan burger was a massive hit anywhere in the world is hardly surprising. The only thing that is surprising is how long it took McDonald’s to put a vegan sandwich on a U.S. menu. The chain has been testing vegan burger options in Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, the U.K., and—most recently—Norway.

We’ve been urging McDonald’s to do better since 1997, when we attempted to work with the company to ease the suffering of animals killed for its restaurants. After two years and a major lack of cooperation on McDonald’s part, we launched our McCruelty campaign with The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde at the helm.

And we haven’t eased up since. We’re certainly thrilled to see McDonald’s join the vegan revolution, but there’s still so much room for improvement. Click below to drop the company a quick, polite note letting it know that you’d like to see vegan items on your local franchise’s menu, too.

In the meantime, visit one of these A-grade vegan-friendly burger chains instead.