The vegan restaurant dilemma

A few weeks ago I wrote about how, after four years as a vegan-only establishment, Eleven Madison Park was adding meat back to the menu. The famed NYC restaurant is not the only vegan eatery to make changes in the current restaurant climate. Many once-beloved vegan restaurants have even closed permanently in recent months. Is this part of a trend in an embattled industry, or do vegan restaurants have a bigger problem?

There are two main schools of thought regarding the struggles facing vegan restaurants. The first lands on the side of a larger problem facing hospitality as a whole, with worker shortages and sky-high costs making even well established eateries shutter doors. Add to that a hesitant dining public that is penny pinching due to increased costs for food, housing, utilities and other basic needs, and it’s no wonder restaurants are struggling.

Another theory is that the pushback against highly processed food is driving people away from vegan food because items like the Impossible Burger, while 100% plant-based, are heavily processed and contain a laundry list of ingredients. The counter argument is that veganism is still popular, as evidenced by the loads of TikToks and reels featuring vegan food, it is just that people are not eating out as much.

Whatever the reason, customers are disappointed when their favorite restaurant closes its doors. However, it seems that not all hope is lost: London’s Unity Diner, which had announced it would be closing after Veganuary, had such high sales during Veganuary that the decision to liquidate was reversed. Sales of their vegan Sunday roast carvery are robust, which indicates that the interest is still there. Unity Diner’s co-founder, Andy Crumpton, says that the restaurant is  “barely breaking even”, but if the current trend continues, they will be able to remain open.