Open Post: Hosted By IKEA’S 75 Cent Vegan Hot Dog
It hasn’t been a great year for cost-conscious retail store hot dogs. Back in July, Costco dumped their beloved Polish hot dog in an attempt to be healthier (thankfully, Sam’s Club stepped up as the hero we needed). IKEA launched a veggie dog in Sweden back in February, and it has finally made its way to the USA. And that right there is what it looks like. Kind of like the healthy food equivalent of the mistake that emerged from the telepod in David Cronenberg’s The Fly.
According to The Takeout, IKEA’s vegan hot dog offering will debut in the US this week, and will cost only $0.75. The standard IKEA hot dog runs $0.50, or $2.50 if you get the two dog, drink, and chips combo. Much like its meat-based brother, the IKEA veggie dog is a real mish-mash of bits and pieces. But instead of a random assortment of pig snouts and butt holes, it’s more like kale and red lentils, similar ingredients to those that are inside their veggie balls.
Resting on the veggie dog is pickled cabbage, crispy onions, and brown mustard. That’s much fancier than the soda fountain cup of yellow mustard I usually dip my IKEA hot dog into. The IKEA veggie dogs might look gross to some, but they’ve already sold one million in Europe since February.
IKEA has been pushing for a move to more plant-based and sustainable food options, and obviously the veggie dog fits that description, no matter how much it looks like a hot dog that rolled onto the sawdust-covered manufacturing floor during the BILLY bookcase shift. My suggestion might be for IKEA to kill two birds with one stone and market both their veggie balls and dogs at the same time. Because a slogan like “IKEA: Your no. 1 spot to stuff your face with guilt-free balls and wieners” is just too good to pass up.
Pic: Instagram