Denny’s Offers Amy’s Kitchen Vegan Burger on a Vegan Bun
by Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
VRG Research Director
In late August 2010, all Denny’s restaurants in the United States added Amy’s Kitchen Veggie Burger to their menus. This vegan patty replaces the vegetarian burger that had been offered by Denny’s. The burger will be available any time of the day at every Denny’s location in the US.
The listed menu item is served with pepper jack cheese, but restaurant patrons may request it without cheese. Those with food allergies may note that the vegan patty contains textured soy protein concentrate and walnuts.
If ordered as listed, the burger is served on a wheat bun which contains honey. Customers may request the white sesame seed burger bun instead; it is all-plant based. Neither bun contains L-cysteine, a common bakery ingredient usually derived from human or hog hair or duck feathers.
Denny’s prepares its Amy’s burger in a microwave without the plastic packaging. Then it is grilled on a surface where meat products were prepared. Denny’s told The VRG that patrons may request that their patty be microwaved only and/or grilled in a sanitized pan previously used to prepare omelets. Denny’s assured The VRG that employees will do everything possible to ensure that customers are happy with their order.
Visitors to Canada and Canadian vegans may be pleased to learn that Denny’s restaurants in Canada serve Yves vegan burger.
Had no idea about bun ingredients. Having a hard time finding buns without honey, whey, lactic acid, “enzymes” in the grocery store or even Whole Foods..any suggestions?? Thank you..
@kerri: The whole wheat buns at Trader Joe’s are vegan.
Enzymes are usually vegan because it’s too expensive a process to get them from animals–for some odd reason. So I’ve heard.
At home I use my own recipe for raw vegan patty and use a big ol’ green leaf folded up as a bun. It could work when eating out too if the restaurant was asked ahead of time to save some romaine. I usually just ask for the fixins and a side salad, and eat it with a fork. Otherwise I bring some stuff w/me. I only do this when I am going with non vegans. Nice that they are making some effort. Thanks Denny’s!!
Arnold’s has multi-grain thin buns and it shows no dairy products, honey, nor l-cystein and/or casien in them. Most of Arnold’s bread products are vegan and available in most stores. The Honey Wheat ones are not vegan of course.