Starbucks Adds Vegan Lunch Options, Makes 'Pink Drink' Permanent
Starbucks continues adding more vegan options to its menu. The coffee chain announced earlier this week that as of April 11, “a new selection of grab-and-go salads, hearty sandwiches and sides” would launch in Chicago locations, and that “the new menu features foods that meet a variety of dietary lifestyles from high protein to vegetarian and vegan.”
Called “Mercato,” which means “marketplace” in Italian, the new lunch options, which can be mixed and matched, will be offered in more than 100 Starbucks locations in downtown Chicago. The two vegan options are listed below:
- Cauliflower Tabbouleh Salad: Chopped parsley, mint, cucumber, tomato and riced cauliflower with fresh lemon juice on arugula.
- Crunchy Almond Butter, Strawberries & Jam Sandwich: Chunky almond butter, strawberry jam and fresh strawberry slices on Bavarian wheat bread.
All unsold items from the new and original menu will be “donated nightly to the community through Starbucks FoodShare.” Shortly before this announcement, the company also stated that the notorious Pink Drink will be added as a year-round permanent menu item at “participating stores across the U.S.” The beverage, which “first gained popularity last spring” and “took social media by storm,” features the “sweet flavors of Strawberry Acai Refreshers® with accents of passion fruit and acai combined with Coconutmilk, and topped with a scoop of strawberries.”
The company has been on a mission to expand its plant-based menu by adding vegan staples such as almond milk, the Sprouted Grain Bagel, Organic Avocado Spread and in select New York locations, the breakfast option Overnight Grains.
Photo Credit: Starbucks
