How Can Restaurants Make the Most Out of the Vegan Food trend?

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I have a couple of vegan friends and the hustle with them while making dinner plans is real.

(My folks, yes, I am talking about you all! :D)

I can’t even tell you how many times we have called off our dinner plans and argued.

Vegan food is great. But there are times when I want to enjoy some non-veg cuisine. The only problem is when I cannot do that when with my vegan buddies because they can’t eat that food. So, I have to go along with them to a vegan restaurant.

Why am I telling you all this is because there are many vegan and non-vegan restaurants. But the number of restaurants offering both is significantly less.

This is something that needs to be addressed. Being a hospitality blogger, I take it upon myself to do that and put down some legit tips for restaurants to GO VEGAN and embrace the vegan food trend with wide-open arms!!!

What is Veganism?

Veganism is a lifestyle that attempts to exclude all sorts of animal products to prevent the exploitation of animals — be it diet or anything related to lifestyle. They strongly oppose the idea of ending a creature’s life for its flesh, milk, or skin.

The Rising Trend of Veganism

The term ‘vegan’ was first introduced in the year 1944 by Donald Watson. He and a few other folks parted ways from the Leicester Vegetarian Society and formed a vegan society. The prime idea behind this was to make people aware of the fact that all creatures have the right to life and freedom.

Over the last few years, veganism has grown extensively worldwide. More and more people are stepping in a joining the club and supporting an animal cruelty-free lifestyle.

In fact, many celebrities are joining and endorsing this movement too, making the entire landscape much stronger.

Personal experience and opinion

Like I said in the beginning, I would always accompany my friends to try out vegan food. And I still remember my first experience.

Being a connoisseur of non-vegetarian food, I always thought that it would take some time for vegan food to get to the market (especially in India). But when my friends took me to this vegan café in Bangalore, I was awestruck. The eatery was crowded LITERALLY.

That’s just one part. I follow a few vegan folks on Instagram and by seeing their stories and posts, it seems the number of restaurants offering vegan menus is at an all-time high. Not just that, the veganism lifestyle itself is taking the world by storm.

Numbers are louder

The global vegan food market is projected to grow from $26.16 billion in 2021 to $61.35 billion in 2028, at a CAGR of 12.95% approximately.

According to another report, in 2022, the meat substitute market in the United States earned $1.88 billion, and it’s expected to grow by 23.47% each year. The same report also states 24% of the Indian population are vegan and 574 million Indians follow a meat-free diet.

Surprising, right?

Why Should Restaurants Offer Vegan Options?

Now, let’s address the elephant in the room from a business point of view.

In this section, I am listing all the benefits of embracing the ongoing veganism trend in restaurants.

1. People are going to love you

I think the best way to explain this is with an example.

I am from Assam and my love for Assamese cuisine is just immense. When I was in Mumbai last year for work, I remember searching for a restaurant. To my surprise, I found a restaurant that had Assamese cuisine on its menu. And it didn’t take me a minute to decide.

To an extent, it is the same with vegans. They highly appreciate restaurants that are open-minded and offer vegan meals.

Given the number of restaurants operating in the vegan domain, it wouldn’t take much time for your restaurant to get all the love and appreciation.

2. Broaden customer base

The number of people turning vegan is supremely high, making the target market for vegan restaurants lucrative.

Meaning, adding plant-based or vegan meals to your offerings opens the door to a much wider customer base.

For example, you already serve vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, and adding vegan options would also attract people from that particular segment. 

3. More group reservations

This is a legitimate benefit.

Remember I mentioned that I would always accompany my friends to vegan restaurants, even on days when I want to feast on chicken wings?

This is exactly what I was talking about.

Friend circles with different food preferences are sure to flock to your restaurant if you offer meat-free dishes on your menu.  

4. Build a brand value

Let’s keep everything aside and think from a marketing perspective. Veganism is on the rise. However, there are not many restaurants in this space. Meaning, the sooner you step in the sooner you’re going to get noticed.

Furthermore, you attract an entire community who become advocates for your restaurant.

This might sound very generic, but it is a big deal. People talking about your restaurant, praising you for the move is going to give you and your restaurant business a great push.

5. Open doors for extensive marketing activities

Veganism is trending and people are excited about it. When you step into this space, you get a whole canvas to run your creative mind and market your restaurant.

Make sure your content and campaigns are relatable to the community.

ProTip: Veganism is a sensitive segment. So, make sure your marketing activities aren’t hurting anyone’s sentiments.

6. Boost your restaurant’s bottom line

Show me the money! This is exactly what’s going on in your head, right?

Well, the profit margin in offering vegan options is quite good. The reason is meat-free or animal cruelty-free food is going to be an add-on to your existing menu.

Meaning, if you’re already profitable, it is going to top it up. And if you aren’t, it will significantly increase your chances of making good money.

Things to Keep in Mind While Going Vegan

I can see you’re with me so far. Great!

Now let’s look at the things that are prominent when you’re starting out with vegan food options.

1. Conduct in-depth industry and compset analysis

Hold your horses. I know this whole idea is intriguing but don’t be super-fast.

The first and foremost thing to do is study the market; the target market for vegan restaurants, to be specific. You have to check each and every aspect of going vegan.

Not just that. You have to also peek into your competitors’ arena and see what they are doing. What type of food they are offering? Are they profitable yet? The demographics they cater to. And more!

2. Write a proper business plan

The moment of truth.

Regardless of the efforts in researching the industry and analysing competitors, without proper planning, it’s quite difficult to take your idea off the ground.

So, when you’re starting a vegan restaurant or offering vegan food, write down your business plan. Curate a business framework that helps map out how you can forecast every element of this new idea of adding vegan options and plan on turning a profit.

3. Pick vegan options that fit your restaurant concept

This point is very crucial because you have to invest some time deciding on the types of food you would offer.

You have to add the vegan options that go along with your restaurant concept. This will help you stay aligned with branding.

For example, if your restaurant serves continental cuisine, then you have to pick continental vegan options.

4. Find the perfect supplier

A supplier is a party (business or person) in the supply chain that makes goods available to a business. And restaurants need to find the right supplier or vendor for all their vegan food requirements.

I have written a blog for hotels to find the right vendor/supplier. You can read and steal some ideas for your restaurant business. Most of the criteria are the same for restaurants too.

Click here to read.

5. Deploy a restaurant POS system

A restaurant’s infrastructure is always busy — be it the cash counter, the kitchen, or the dining area. And there are times when a tiny miss out creates a big discrepancy. This is where a restaurant POS system comes into the picture.

POS software for restaurants helps in simplifying communications between various departments of a restaurant. 

Not just that. It also tracks sales, inventory and everything in between. And all of it from a single dashboard.

6. Get proper certification

Now, before selling anything vegan, you need to have proper certification.

There are assigned bodies that regulate and approve products before going into the market. Furthermore, trusted vegan labelling by the Vegan Trademark also plays an important role in this.

So, make sure you go through all the legal aspects before offering a vegan option in your restaurant menu.

Let me know if you would like to have a dedicated blog on this particular topic. I would love to write an in-depth article on the same.

7. Invest in marketing

You have just started offering vegan food in your restaurant. But people are supposed to know about it?

Looking at the growing trend of veganism, it is important that you spread the word to the world (to the right audience to be precise). For that, marketing is what you need to invest in.

Here’s a restaurant marketing blog that will help you get it right.

Creative Restaurant Marketing Strategies

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