TGI Fridays & Beyond Meat Just Went All In on Plant-Based Chili

The new Beyond Chili can be found in various sections of Fridays' menu.

TGI Fridays Beyond Chili Ballpark Nachos
Beyond Chili Ballpark Nachos | Photo courtesy of TGI Fridays
Beyond Chili Ballpark Nachos | Photo courtesy of TGI Fridays

Plant-based food products are all the buzz these days, with companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods continually releasing new products. TGI Fridays doubled down on its support of Beyond products Wednesday, introducing a new line of Beyond Chili items to the menu.

The casual dining chain now offers five Beyond meat products. Four new items—Beyond Chili, Beyond Chili Loaded Potato Skins, Beyond Chili Ballpark Nachos, and a Beyond Chili Cheeseburger—join the existing Beyond Cheeseburger, which was added to Fridays' menu in 2018.

MORE: Starbucks Is Working on a Vegan Breakfast Sandwich with Impossible Sausage

TGI Fridays Beyond Chili Loaded Potato Skins
Beyond Chili Loaded Potato Skins | Photo courtesy of TGI Fridays

"We're about making everyone feel welcome here and that means having more than one or two plant-based meat options on our menu for people, whether they're plant-based eaters or meat eaters," said Sara Bittorf, TGI Fridays' chief experience officer, in a statement.

Plant-based food is trending up even among meat eaters. In a diet survey conducted by culinary tech company Mattson in June, only 5% of people polled were vegan or vegetarian, but 32% reported making an active effort to consume fewer animal products. The same study found that 83% of people believe the plant-based shift is more than a fad, viewing it as a fundamental change that won't disappear anytime soon.

It is yet to be seen whether Beyond Chili will surpass the Beyond Cheeseburger in popularity, but knowing how much Americans love potato skins, it's very possible TGI Fridays has stumbled upon at least one future fan favorite.

MORE: Impossible Foods Is Creating a Plant-Based Milk That'll Taste Like the Real Thing

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Kyler Alvord is a news writer at Thrillist. Find him on Twitter and Instagram. Or don't. It's really up to you.