Veganuary is popular among individuals looking to adopt a plant-based diet throughout the month of January. It’s become an excellent opportunity for food businesses, such as restaurants, cafes, and any food concept, to introduce vegan-friendly options on their menus.
But before you jump on the bandwagon and start offering vegan dishes, let's discuss what it is and why it's important for restaurants to embrace this growing trend.
Each year, Veganuary encourages people to go vegan for the month of January. It began in 2014 with 3,300 participants signing up and has since grown exponentially to over 400,000 signups worldwide by 2020. This initiative seeks to raise awareness of a plant-based diet's ethical, environmental and health benefits!
Compared to vegetarian diets, vegan diets don't contain any animal products or by-products (including eggs, dairy, honey etc.). A vegetarian diet typically involves cutting out meat but still consuming other animal products, such as eggs and dairy.
Offering vegan, plant-based dishes on your menu can help you reach a broader customer base since many vegans prefer to only eat at vegan-friendly restaurants that provide them with satisfying options. Since more people are embracing the idea of going vegan for at least part of the year - including January - it makes sense for you to capitalise on this trend by offering delicious plant-based options on your menus. Furthermore, it can help you gain word-of-mouth publicity since having vegan options available provides a unique selling point which can set your restaurant apart from others in the area.
You must keep all plant-based and animal-based ingredients separate in your restaurant kitchen. This means designating specific areas for each type of ingredient, such as a specified shelf where only vegan items will be stored and prepared.
Doing so helps avoid any potential cross-contamination between animal and plant products, thus ensuring that no accidentally non-vegan items end up in a dish meant for a vegan diner. You DON'T, however, need two of every kitchen appliance!
With more people embracing Veganuary every year, food businesses should include vegan-friendly dishes on their menus. It expands your customer base and shows that you care about providing tasty yet healthy meals for everyone who visits your vegan-friendly restaurant or food concept. By updating your menu to include plant-based items – you too can ensure all customers feel welcome while enjoying delicious vegan meals not just in Veganuary but all year round!
If you want to learn more about the RATIONAL iVario Pro, get in touch with our experts, who can let you know everything the iVario Pro can do.