Restaurants are expanding their plant-based offerings from burgers to new items including hot dogs at Nathan's Famous, tacos made with a vegan meat alternative at Taco Bell and seitan-based Italian Beef Sandwiches at Buona. Spring menus across the country are also showcasing fresh, seasonal produce in new salads and other dishes.

Plant-based food maker Beyond Meat has signed a three-year supplier agreement with McDonald's and another deal with Yum Brands to supply plant-based meat to KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Beyond Meat will be the preferred supplier for the McPlant, a plant-based burger McDonald's plans to test in select international markets before rolling it out worldwide.

Pizza Hut will start selling a plant-based sausage topping from Beyond Meat, expanding a partnership with Pizza Hut parent Yum Brands. Yum's restaurants in China, including Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC, started selling Beyond's meat alternatives earlier this year, and Pizza Hut units in the UK and Puerto Rico also sell the sausage topping.

Alibaba Group-owned supermarkets will start selling plant-based burgers from Beyond Meat in mainland China, starting with 50 stores in Shanghai this weekend. Beyond Meat first launched in China in April in a deal with Starbucks and sibling quickserve chains KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell now also offer the brand at some China eateries.

Restaurant chains including Burger King, Carl's Jr., Del Taco, Taco Bell and White Castle are all promoting new plant-based burgers and other meat alternatives, in an effort to court not just vegetarians but also people cutting back on animal protein. "Greater than 90% of our customers are self-avowed carnivores who want to eat meat, just not every meal," Impossible Foods' David Lee said.