Hooters of America has joined dozens of restaurant brands and entered the plant-based meat trend. Hooters Unreal wings are fried and tossed in Hooters’ classic sauces and dry rubs like BBQ, honey Thai chili pepper and Buffalo.
Rather than Impossible Foods or Beyond Meat, the breastaurant has gone with a long-established brand in the meat alternative space—Quorn. The U.K.-based brand was established in 1985; its products are made with mycoprotein, a high-protein, mushroom-based meat-substitute.
“We’ve been in the meat alternative game since the 1980s, and the new Hooters Unreal Wings taste just as good as chicken,” said Kevin Brennan, CEO of Quorn Foods in a statement. (“Even the iconic Hooters Girls couldn’t spot the difference,” the brand boasts in a statement.)
“The rise of meatless options especially at quick service and fast casual restaurants has largely centered on burgers, and we’re excited to partner with Hooters to roll out the first meatless poultry item on a national scale in the US,” Brennan said.
The Unreal wings will be available on the menu at 318 Hooters restaurants across the U.S. Hooters is the franchisor and operator of more than 425 Hooters restaurants in 39 states and 31 countries.
“We’re excited to build upon our heritage of offering the broadest variety of wings under one roof by being the first to bring great tasting meatless wings to our guests,” said Carl Sweat, chief marketing officer of Hooters in the statement.
“By partnering with Quorn, we were able to create the taste, texture and crispiness of our world-famous chicken wings perfectly. Similar to our launch of smoked wings and roasted wings with half the calories of our regular wings, the Unreal wings provide our guests a healthier option without compromising on the full Hooters Wing flavor they know and love.”
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