When you get that Maccy D’s craving, i.e. the pavlovian response for a Big Mac meal every time you spot the Golden Arches, there’s nothing more satisfying than the first taste of salty, golden French fry dunked in ketchup or the messy inaugural bite of patty, bun, and processed cheese—the holy fast food trinity. But for one McDonald’s customer in Australia, a trip to the burger giant brought only disappointment.
Last week, Rish Raniga swung by his local McDonald’s in Sydney after work and asked for a vegetarian burger. He claims to have been told by staff that the restaurant could cater for veggies. So far, no problem. But when Raniga got home, he found out he’d ended up with a lot less than expected.
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Instead of the “gently spiced patty of chickpeas, coriander, and cumin” offered as the McDonald’s vegetarian option in many countries, Raniga’s bun contained just a slab of cheese, one measly gherkin, and a splattering of ketchup. Sad.
Speaking to the Daily Mail Australia, Raniga expressed his disappointment. He said: “At first I thought they’d forgotten the veggie patty, but I think they just couldn’t be bothered making it. That’s the vibe I got, that they don’t know how to make a vegetarian burger. When I saw it I just thought, ‘What the fuck?’ I’d had a few chips on the way home but I was getting ready for this burger and it was just empty, there was literally just nothing in it. It’s not like I couldn’t have got a veggie burger anywhere else, but sometimes you just crave a Maccas. But surely you should get more than one piece of cheese and one gherkin. I was really surprised, it is very disappointing.”
According to McDonald’s, vegetarian burgers are no longer offered in Australia after a brief trial last year found that there was no demand. A spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that there are a “small number of existing items on our menu suitable for vegetarian consumers” and “all of our menu items are customisable to ensure they can meet the varied needs of our customers.” This could explain why Raniga ended up with a normal burger, minus the meat.
In future, might we suggest vegetarian burger fans try cooking up one of these meat-free varieties instead? No gherkins, guaranteed.
