Bring Back ‘Good Burger,’ but Hold the Meat! PETA Urges Kenan and Kel

For Immediate Release:
March 22, 2023

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

A Good Burger sequel is just months away—but PETA thinks it will take more than Ed’s special sauce to keep the film’s burger joint popular. In a letter sent today to stars Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, the group asks that the duo use their influence to make the fictional eatery “home of the vegan burger” with a sustainable, animal-friendly menu.

“Welcome to Good Burger, home of the vegan burger—can I take your order?” That’s what we at PETA have in mind for Good Burger 2,” writes PETA Associate Director Lauren Thomasson. “Some things (like beef patties) are better left in the ’90s, and if Good Burger has any hope of surviving new competition in 2023, its menu will abundantly feature animal-free offerings, including meat-free burgers, dairy-free shakes, and, of course, a special secret vegan sauce.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Kenan and Kel follows.

Dear Kenan and Kel,

“Welcome to Good Burger, home of the vegan burger—can I take your order?” That’s what we at PETA have in mind for Good Burger 2. Some things (like beef patties) are better left in the ’90s, and if Good Burger has any hope of surviving new competition in 2023, its menu will abundantly feature animal-free offerings, including meat-free burgers, dairy-free shakes, and, of course, a special secret vegan sauce.

We know more than ever about the appalling ways in which animals are raised and killed for food. Cows are branded and castrated, and their horn buds are gauged out of their skulls. They endure these routine mutilations without pain relief. They’re kept on crowded, filthy feedlots, only to then be forced onto trucks and transported for miles through all weather extremes, typically without food or water. At the slaughterhouse, the throats of those who survived the transport will be slit, often while they’re still conscious. Animal agriculture is also a leading contributor to the climate catastrophe and many other environmental issues, and the World Health Organization has declared that eating processed meats causes cancer.

Today, we have vegan patty options like Beyond Meat that imitate beef and satiate even the meatiest cravings without involving cruelty to animals, and vegan burgers have even made their way onto the menus of popular chains, including Carl’s Jr., Johnny Rockets, and TGI Fridays, to name a few. In fact, vegan fast food has taken the nation by storm, with all-vegan burger joints such as, Kevin Hart’s Hart House, Monty’s Good Burger, and Veggie Grill popping up across the country, so Good Burger would be in good company by making the switch to a vegan menu.

Given that the meat and dairy industries are causing the senseless suffering of billions of animals, destroying the planet, and wreaking havoc on human health, would you, Kenan and Kel, please use your influence to ensure that the sequel promotes kindness and sustainability with an all-vegan restaurant in the film?

We’d be happy to meet with the production to help in any way we can. Thank you for your consideration. We hope to hear from you soon!

With kind regards,

Lauren Thomasson

Associate Director, Animals in Film and Television

PETA