Buona Beef debuts beefless sandwich for vegans
CHICAGO - Buona Beef is switching up its signature beef sandwich to attract vegans.
The Illinois-based company is now selling a no-beef beef sandwich.
It almost sounds like Chicago heresy, similar to putting Ketchup on a hotdog. But so far, the beefless Italian beef is a hit.
After years of experimentation and trial and error, Buona Beef on Monday debuted its new meatless Italian beef sandwich at all 24 of its restaurants in the Chicago area and northwest Indiana.
The new sandwich is made with a wheat-based protein called Seitan, which is manufactured by a Chicago company. The Italian beef gravy is also meatless, made with vegetable broth and olive oil.
Buona is a family owned business that has been cranking out millions of Italian beefs for the past 40 years, so they wanted to be sure their new vegan sandwich tasted like a real beef sandwich.