ProVeg International recently hosted a webinar with a panel of industry experts discussing the best ways to integrate plant-based menu options into your food service business.
The panel consisted of Lauren Spokes, Head of Sales UK Foodservice at Heura Foods; Claire Roper, Marketing & Innovation Consultant for Foodservice; and Dean Wilson Hartles, Director of Food & Drinks Development at The Restaurant Group. Click here to access the full recording of the webinar, or to read the summary.
Some of the key topics discussed in this webinar include:
- The benefits and challenges of adding more plant-based options to your menu.
- Current industry trends.
- How to utilise choice architecture, including menu integration, descriptors, and icons to increase sales.
- The importance of upskilling serving staff and chefs.
- How plant-based brands and restaurants can collaborate effectively.
So, why should your food-service business care about adding more plant-based options to the menu?
The panellists concur on the main benefit of increasing your restaurant’s plant-based offerings: namely, that it attracts customers. It is especially useful in attracting a younger demographic – who are more likely to be open to plant-based eating – and in attracting those diners who are more sustainability-conscious.
To find out more about how best to implement these benefits, make sure to check out the full webinar and hear what panellists Lauren Spokes and Dean Wilson Hartles had to say.
And if your company doesn’t feature a wide range of plant-based options for consumers to choose from? Well, you risk losing out on business, and not just from vegan individuals. According to Claire Roper, vegan individuals hold a lot of power in the decision-making process of big groups when it comes to choosing where to eat. People don’t want to feel excluded or to exclude others, so choosing the most vegan-friendly restaurants has become common practice amongst many consumers.
“People are demanding more and more, so you can’t just approach [including plant-based options] as a tick box exercise anymore. People want food they can Instagram about, food that looks good, and food that is nutritious. There’s a challenge here, but also an opportunity,” comments Claire Roper, Marketing & Innovation Consultant for Foodservice.
If you are interested in learning more about the benefits and challenges involved in increasing the plant-based options within restaurants and other food-service businesses, click here to watch the full webinar. For more information on how to promote the sales of plant-based products which boost your company’s bottom line, click here to access ProVeg International’s New Food Hub now!
