*ask a member of staff

I’m writing this, not (just) as a rant, but to try and help businesses and us vegan’s out there…. Firstly, if you are a steakhouse and you specialise in dry-aged Japanese Wagyu, Aberdeen Angus, ribeye, New York strip loin, and filet mignon and a range of other aged steaks in all different varieties – then keep doing you and don’t even go there with the vegan options.  I would not walk into a steakhouse and expect to find anything on the menu that caters for a vegan and that is just fine.  But, if you are a local pub, restaurant, or pop up, and are looking to get more people through the door, expand your reach, or simply because you want to extend your open arms to the vegan community, then this is for you…. And, no, you don’t have to completely ditch everything meat, dairy and fish related and become a vegan only establishment alienating all your other loyal patrons.

We’re a small but passionate bunch

OK so vegans are still a small percentage of the population, in the UK, just 4%, but that’s still nearly 4 million people. OK, regionally the percentages vary from town to town, but in my little village of Stony Stratford, population 16,500 ish – that’s still around 650 hungry vegans looking for their next delicious plant-based meal, and add to that the bunch of peeps looking to try meat-free options, plant-based alternatives or those opting for vegan diets due to dairy allergies, that’s a fair number right?, fancy attracting any of these to come dine at your place?

Here’s how to speak to us…

Think, how do I tempt people into my restaurant, pub, or my one-night only exclusive to eat – I mean, you already know how you are going to market that to the meat-eaters right and maybe even the vegetarians?  You’ve got that in the bag…  And how do you do that?  With a description of the meals, the ingredients, what to expect with the taste and combinations, all beautifully crafted and written with gorgeous photos that you could almost eat. Tastebuds tingling and mouth is watering as you type them up…. Well, here’s the magic, it doesn’t work any differently for us vegans, we are looking for the same, tantalise us, tempt us, treat us to your culinary delights….

What not to do…

I will tell you what doesn’t work…. Adding a little piece of text *”vegan option available on request” to your steak menu option and photo. It just doesn’t cut it, it’s lazy, it makes us just sigh, and it seems like you can’t be bothered, and if you can’t, please just don’t…

Showing beautiful plates of meat, fish and platters on your social media with gorgeously crafted menu’s describing the delights to your palate and then adding, as an afterthought, in really small print “vegan options available” is just not cutting it anymore guys, so just spend another couple of minutes and do something for the vegans… Now, I am not saying every single post should be about a vegan option but throw some in the mix each week so we can see you’ve got it… And don’t be lazy with the options, offer something if you can, but if you can’t, don’t, a side salad and a bowl of chips is not going to cut it, it used to be OK, but now it just p****s us off! (well, some of us).

Up Your Game

If social media is your thing, try a social media post or two a week with a beautiful photo of a vegan option and a just-as-wonderful description of the menu, this is what is going to get us out and booking a table – not “ask a member of staff for dietary options”. Imagine being shown a photo of rancid, congealed, rotting, food with an added note to ask a member of staff for the menu options – would I scroll on by with a mini-sick in my mouth (yes), or would I jump out of my seat, scream out loud to my partner, let’s go call these people – they say they have options and they must be delicious (no)….  But I could do just that (the latter) if you did the very same that you do for our meat-eating friends and offer something that “speaks” to us.

Embrace the vegetables

Vegan options don’t have to be falafel and humous (as nice as they are), or a side of garden salad and potato chips.  You can bake pastry with vegetable fat, you can make scrambled tofu, mushroom burgers, seitan steaks, BBQ pulled oyster mushrooms, creamy oat milk deserts, you don’t even need eggs to make a cake you know?!  There are just no excuses these days for not being able to cook a vegan option, I mean, you have a chef right?

Examples of success

Go check out businesses that are doing it right.  Take a look at vegan or plant-based restaurants or menu options and see what they are doing, or ask a vegan or two. There are inventive, delicious, vegan meals available and the ones doing it right describe them just as you would expect any other menu option to be described.  Look at restaurants that are killing it with the like-for-like menu’s – like Paris House, in Woburn for example – as a vegan eating out with my meat-eating friends, it is so refreshing not to feel like the outcast, you feel completely catered for and that your custom is just as wanted as anyone else’s.

You Don’t HAVE to…

You don’t have to cater for vegans, and it’s fine not to, if you don’t really have the right kitchen or place to cater for vegan’s or you just don’t want to, then don’t.  We won’t visit and that is fine, there are plenty of people that will.  But please, please, don’t add *vegan options available when all you’re going to do is remove all the non-vegan ingredients and leave us with a slice of tomato – we’d just rather you didn’t bother (well, you kinda didn’t).

The importance of putting the options on the menu

Why does it have to be on the menu? It seems so obvious right, I mean, how would you expect a meat-eater to sit down and chose what they want to order?  How would you feel if you were handed a “menu” and it said, ask the staff for something you fancy?  I mean, nice idea, but that is not how it works – if I have to think of options rather than being given options, I may as well stay indoors and cook for myself.  So why do you expect a vegan to guess or ask?  If there is anyone else out there like me, I really don’t want to inconvenience anyone so I would probably not even bother asking. Plus, it always worries me, that if you don’t have actual menu options – will you be able to produce a vegan meal or will it not “quite” be vegan?! The amount of times when *asking staff for vegan options, I have been offered things with milk, butter, egg etc – so I would rather not order at all for the risk of eating something I did not want to (plus, I have developed a dairy intolerance now so it’s not fun if that is accidently included).

The Golden opportunity

Win a vegan, and their friends… not literally…. and they will keep coming back. If you want to stand out, and be a choice, if you are happy to open your doors to us vegan-folk, then just do what you do for everyone else, but tailored to us…. It’s not that difficult really when you think about it! Show us enticing photos, exciting menu’s and delicious descriptions and the opportunity to increase your vegan sales is there for the taking.

And here’s a bonus, most of us share our experiences loudly.  When we find a place that actually gets it right, we shout, scream, post and share in all of our vegan groups, with our friends and family – we get so excited that we are not excluded we become your marketing machines! So invest in us, it may just pay off…

To conclude my rant

In a world where diners seek exciting culinary experiences, non-vegan restaurants have a golden opportunity to not just cater to vegans but to win them over with enticing visuals and flavourful descriptions. It’s time to ditch the old asterisk and embrace the vegan revolution. After all, the future of food is plant-based, and those who adapt will reap the rewards in customer loyalty and increased sales. So, vegan’s… next time you’re at your favourite non-vegan spot, demand more than just an asterisk. Demand a vegan menu that’s as captivating as it is delicious.