Denny’s Add Full Vegan Breakfast to Permanent Menu at All 1,300 US Locations

Diner-style chain Denny’s has rolled out a Plant-Based Breakfast Slam at all its locations in the US, bucking the trend of the wider restaurant industry.

Denny’s has reiterated its commitment to plant-based food with a new dairy- and egg-free pancake breakfast option.

The 24-hour diner-style chain has unveiled the Plant-Based Breakfast Slam at all its 1,311 locations across the US, swapping out the eggs for flax seeds. It comprises two multigrain pancakes featuring cinnamon and brown sugar served with maple syrup, vegan hash browns, and seasonal fruit. The dish starts at $11.99

It comes during a time when many US restaurant chains are shying away from plant-based options, citing unsatisfactory flavour and texture, and falling demand.

Denny’s breakfast move reignites the plant-based vs vegan debate

While the dish should appear to plant-based customers, Denny’s has distanced itself from the ‘vegan’ tag.

“The Plant-Based Pancake Slam is not vegan because it is prepared in the same facility with non-vegan items,” the company wrote on an Instagram post by animal rights group PETA.

The debate around plant-based products being cooked with the same equipment as meat isn’t new. The cross-contamination question was brought into wider focus when Burger King first launched its Impossible Whopper in 2019, which was cooked on the same grill as beef but marketed as vegan. That led to a lawsuit that was later dismissed by a judge.

For what it’s worth, PETA has long held the stance that vegans shouldn’t demand that chains use separate equipment. “We urge vegans not to insist that their food be cooked on equipment separate from that used to cook meat; doing so doesn’t help any additional animals, and it only makes restaurants less inclined to offer vegan choices (which, again, hurts animals),” it tweeted in 2020.

That’s consistent with its response to Denny’s comment, which read: “The Plant-Based Pancake Slam is still vegan – no animal products are used. Being made in the same facility doesn’t change that, as it doesn’t involve harming animals.”

Denny’s decision is a win amid slowing foodservice sales for plant-based food

This isn’t the first plant-based item at Denny’s, but given that it’s an animal-free version of a core offering, it’s a big move for the chain’s favorability with plant-based and flexitarian audiences.

Some sides and breakfast items – such as the English muffins, sautéed zucchini and squash, and red-skinned potatoes – are automatically vegan, while others can be modified (the grits, for example, can be cooked in water instead of milk).

For mains, customers can create their own burger with a veggie patty and customised toppings. Denny’s previously teamed up with Beyond Meat for the plant-based burger before switching to Dr. Praeger’s California Veggie Patty.

By adding a vegan pancake offering, Denny’s is going against the industry trend– many of its peers have withdrawn plant-based menu options over the last few years. McDonald’s infamously doesn’t serve the McPlant (featuring the Beyond Burger) in the US anymore, while Carl’s Jr and Del Taco have both removed Beyond Meat from their menus too.

These moves reflect a shift in Americans’ eating preferences, with meat regaining popularity and ultra-processed foods (and, subsequently, plant-based proteins) out of favour. Plant-based food sales fell by 5% in US foodservice last year, although plant-based milk saw a significant increase in dollar and unit sales, outpacing the growth of conventional dairy.

And while many plant-based restaurants have shut down recently, and most chains have been found lagging in their meat-free options, success stories persist. Brands like Impossible Foods have led the way, forging long-lasting foodservice partnerships with the likes of Burger King, White Castle, Starbucks, IHOP, and more.