If IKEA didn't have a cafeteria, I don't know what the world would do. Whenever you go shopping at this furniture superstore, you basically have to make a day out of it, which means you're going to get hungry or at least a little bit peckish.

You know you're going to need to keep your strength and energy up for when you have to make the all-important choice between buying an Undredal or a Fjell.

Luckily, you'll find a bevy of affordable and tasty food options at IKEA's cafeteria, from roasted chicken to sandwiches to chocolate cake. However, IKEA's most famous food offering has to be its Swedish meatballs. For $5.99, you can get a plate full of 15 meatballs made with beef and pork served with mashed potatoes, cream sauce and lingonberries. Mmm. Lingonberries.

Ever the innovator, IKEA is now changing up its meatball options by offering veggie balls, a.k.a. GRÖNSAKSBULLAR. That just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?

The veggie balls will be made of chunks of real vegetables, including chickpeas, carrots, green peas, red pepper, corn, kale, pea protein, onion, rapeseed oil, salt and seasoning, USA Today reports. What's more, the veggie balls will be vegan-friendly, made with no animal products at all.

The veggie balls will be available in IKEA's U.S. restaurants for $4.49 for a plate of 10 starting April 9. You'll also be able to get meatballs made out of chicken beginning April 27. Both new meatball varieties will be available in the IKEA Swedish Food Market starting June 30.

This menu change is part of IKEA's plan to expand its menu to include healthier and more sustainable food, which is a good strategy in the current fast food landscape. Offering alternative menu options for those with dietary restrictions or those who just prefer veggies every once in a while has become a mark of quality among chain restaurants these days. As USA Today also points out, Chipotle, which has kind of set the standard for higher quality fast food today, similarly added the vegan Sofritas filling to its menu last year.

Sure, you probably wouldn't go to IKEA just to eat there, but if it prevents customers from skipping out of the furniture giant to quell their hunger pangs elsewhere, this could be a smart move. 

Photo: Ken Hawkins | Flickr

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