The restaurant chain said it had offered the plant-based meat alternatives for a limited time, and that they may return in the future. (Bloomberg)

Talking point: The news follows the company’s decision in September 2019 to limit the products to stores in B.C. and Ontario, and reflects an effort to return the chain to its roots. Customer disinterest in Tim Hortons’s lunch options—which includes the plant-based products—weighed down sales in its third quarter of 2019, according to the company. But Tims’ retrenchment comes as various other fast-food chains are picking up on the meatless trend. On Wednesday, Beyond Meat said it would supply its plant-based fried chicken to KFC stores in Tennessee and North Carolina. Earlier this month, Subway announced it would start offering the company’s plant-based meatballs. Restaurant Brands International—which also owns Tim Hortons—attributed Burger King’s best quarter in four years in part to sales of its Impossible Burger, a product made by Beyond Meat’s competitor, Impossible Foods.