What happens when a restaurant decides to go vegan? According to New York-based restaurant consulting firm, Veganizer, which helps omnivorous restaurants switch to a vegan menu, businesses that they consulted with have reported an overall increase in sales once they’ve gone plant-based.
Of the 22 restaurants throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia that Veganizer has helped go vegan, 17 responded that sales are up and social media following are up. Most restaurants also responded that their overall food costs have gone down.
Nick’s Kitchen, a Filipino restaurant in Daly City, California that switched to a vegan menu in September 2017, reported a 1,000 percent increase in overall sales, more than any other restaurant surveyed. The company’s social media following also jumped up by 5,000 percent. “We were just going to close down. Instead we switched to plant-based. It was a leap of faith business-wise. But we exploded when we switched, from making only $200 a day to $2,000 a day,” co-owner Reina Montenegro told Forbes.
Other major success stories include that of the authentic French restaurant, Delice and Sarrasin. The once-vegetarian New York City restaurant went vegan in October 2016 and has since seen a 350 percent increase in sales and a 1,200 percent increase to their social media following. “People are really faithful, they always come to support, we have regular customers and it’s a pleasure actually to serve them,” co-owner Christophe Caron told ABC News following the restaurant’s decision to go plant-based.
Gigi Pizzeria in Sydney, Australia, which has been recognized by the renowned True Neapolitan Association, reported a 27 percent increase in sales and a 500 percent social media growth since going vegan in 2015. In spite of having a loyal customer following, the owners decided to switch over to a plant-based menu after learning about the impact animal agriculture has on the planet, our health, and animals.
Beelman’s Pub, a previously meat-heavy gastropub located in Los Angeles, was another one of Veganizer’s clients. After switching to a vegan menu in November 2017, the restaurant reported a 156 percent increase in business sales and a 1,000 percent increase in social media following.
Restaurant owners are also catching on that vegan food is in high demand and are responding by adding plant-based options to their menus. Additionally, data compiled by the Vegetarian Resource Group shows that nearly 40 percent of Americans choose to order vegan when dining out, regardless of dietary preference.
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