By Nicole Di Tomasso
The COVID-19 pandemic has re-shaped nearly every aspect of our lives, including how we eat. This evolution in food choices reflects not only health considerations, but also environmental concerns and ethical considerations, fuelling an increase in healthier, plant-forward diets. As a result, foodservice operators are developing innovative recipes to answer the demand for the consumption of healthy food. From trendy cafés to fine-dining establishments, the rise of vegetarian, flexitarian and pescatarian diets are re-shaping menus and re-defining culinary experiences.
Understanding the Trend
Health-conscious consumers are increasingly mindful of the benefits of plant-forward diets, reducing their intake of saturated fats, sodium and cholesterol. Concerns about animal welfare and sustainability also drive this trend, as consumers become more aware of the environmental impact and ethical implications of traditional meat-centric diets. More broadly, cultural influence and a desire for culinary variety contribute to the appeal of plant-forward dishes.
“Third-party data suggests that the level of vegetarianism or veganism is somewhere below 10 per cent or high single digits,” says Vince Sgabellone, director of Client Development and Foodservice Industry analyst at Circana. “That’s not to say that others won’t choose a vegetarian item from time to time. Either way, this trend tends to be higher among younger generations.”
One-in-six Canadians consider themselves a flexitarian, according to a 2022 survey of approximately 1,000 adults by Chef’s Plate. After carnivores, flexitarian (15 per cent of respondents) is the most common eating habit in Canada. Only two per cent of respondents said they consider themselves vegan, two per cent pescatarian and four per cent vegetarian.
The survey shows Canadians consider environment, cost and convenience the most influential factors in determining their eating habits, with younger people most likely to be influenced by the environment when deciding what to eat.
“The younger generations vote with their money,” says Stephanie Howarth, co-founder of Mad Radish. “That’s driving decision-making about where to buy food. Consumers want to support brands that put people before profits and brands that stand for something. In part, that’s helped create this movement away from heavily processed, chemically flavoured foods that people now know could lead to long-term health concerns. However, it’s important not to become inflexible this way. You can’t say to people ‘you can never have a burger again.’ We don’t shame people for the choices they make. Also, there are many people that don’t have the economic or geographical access to some of these healthier natural foods.”
Food Flexibility
Operators are catering to flexitarians by offering customizable menus that accommodate both plant-based and meat-centric options. This inclusivity allows consumers to enjoy the best of both worlds, without compromising on taste or dietary preferences.
In the fast-food segment, A&W Canada recently launched its new Spicy Piri-Piri Buddy Burger, which is available with chicken, beef or a hash brown potato patty, topped with lettuce, tomato and red onion. The hash-brown option is the result of a community-driven menu hack, predominantly from the South-Asian community.
At healthy fast-food concept, Mad Radish, Howarth says the Piri-Piri Bowl is the brand’s best-selling dish. “It can be made with either piri-piri chicken or piri-piri tofu,” she says. “The rest of the dish is dairy free, so a vegan option is also available. For consumers who enjoy both plant-based and non-plant-based options, we wanted our menu to be interchangeable.”
In addition to chicken or tofu, the Piri-Piri Bowl ($15.75) comes with mixed greens, brown rice, roasted sweet potatoes, peppadew peppers, carrot-and-cabbage slaw, chickpeas and corn nuts.
Horwath says the Maple Farm Bowl ($15.50), which the brand introduced two years ago, is another top seller, featuring Luisa’s roasted chicken or cilantro-lime tofu, roasted curry cauliflower, sweet potatoes, mixed greens, brown rice, chickpeas and a maple-chipotle dressing.
“We skew more towards chicken. We’re well known for our halal-certified, oven-roasted chicken which speaks to our focus on inclusivity. Halal chicken is an important dietary requirement for many consumers and it’s considered to be of higher quality,” says Howarth. “Additionally, we have nine signature dressings and eight of them are vegan. That’s an effort we made intentionally, making it easy for consumers trying to go to plant-based.
In fact, Mad Radish, co-founded by Adam Tomczyk, David Segal and Howarth in Ottawa, where there are currently five locations, recently opened its fourth location in Toronto, marking the brand’s first franchised location in the city.
At Copper Branch, a vegan-restaurant concept Montreal-based Foodtastic acquired in 2021, Trish Paterson, VP, Brand at Foodtastic, says the General Copper Bowl is the brand’s best-selling dish and features a tofu/shitake mushroom combination, organic brown rice, blanched broccoli, house made sriracha coleslaw, avocado and sesame seeds.
The brand recently launched a pizza line, Serenity Pizza, which Paterson says is 100-per-cent vegan and operates within a couple of existing Copper Branch locations. Two individual pizzas are offered on all Copper Branch menus, with the most popular being The Trippy Truffle (gluten free), featuring a garlic-aioli base, arugula, Portobello mushrooms and truffle oil.
This month, Paterson says the brand is launching a new line of Gochujang (Korean chili paste) recipes, including a Gochujang Tofu Bowl and Gochujang Tofu Bao.
Menu Development
Sgabellone says there’s a place for vegetarian or plant-forward items on every menu. With regard to menu design, he recommends operators use dietary icons, “which can be a great money-maker if used correctly, drawing customers to the items you’d like them to purchase,” he says.
“We started with chicken and fish and, knowing that many consumers are leaning into a flexitarian or vegan diet, developed some delicious tofu marinades as well,” says Howarth. “Our menu isn’t a compromise; it’s a celebration of the possibilities of vegan ingredients. We made sure that our plant-based options are just as interesting and exciting as the non-plant-based options. That was the driving philosophy for menu development.”
Horwath continues, “One of the main priorities for the culinary department is when they’re thinking about introducing a new product, for every three non-plant-based products (roughly), there needs to be one plant-based product to ensure that we always have variety.”
“It’s all about flavour, texture and pricing,” says Paterson. “Four years ago, it was tough to get the flavour and texture right unless operators were working with meat analogues. Now, there’s so many things operators can do with shiitake mushrooms and lentils, such as creating a Bolognese sauce for example.”
Paterson continues, “I often ask people, ‘Does raw chicken have flavour?’ and they say no. It’s a carrier of flavour, much like tofu, lentils and legumes. So if we can find a way to capture the flavour and texture customers are looking for, then it doesn’t matter if it’s not chicken, pork or beef.”
Generally speaking, food costs tend to be lower for restaurants that incorporate plant-forward dishes.
“Particularly, if you look at dishes that can be served with or without meat, such as a salad or stir fry, the option without meat usually comes at a price discount,” says Sgabellone. “If the menu price is lower for the consumer, then that means the food costs for the operators are lower. This gives operators an opportunity to sell at a reduced price but at a higher profit margin. If they do it right, it’s a win-win for everybody.”
“Working with mushrooms, legumes, tofu and tempeh is far less expensive than working with meat,” says Paterson. “Where it starts to get expensive is working with heavily-processed meat analogues.”
Sgabellone agrees. “Alternative-meat companies faced some pushback because they weren’t less expensive than their meat substitute,” he says. “Therefore, restaurateurs had to charge the same, if not a premium, for these vegetarian items, which created pushback on the part of the consumer.”
“The other important thing to consider is that while less than 10 per cent of the population will declare that they’re looking for something vegetarian, they’re not necessarily eating out on their own,” says Sgabellone. “If someone is eating out with others who are looking for meat then they may be more inclined to pick a restaurant that has a good selection of vegetarian food items. You’re not just losing the vegetarian if you don’t have those items on your menu or properly merchandised, you can lose the whole party.”
Marketing Matters
With plant-forward menu items, some consumers might find it challenging to get away from the idea that what’s being created is less than its original. However, brands are actively re-writing that narrative through their marketing efforts.
“The most important story we want to tell you is about flavours and inspiration,” says Howarth. “We want to share culinary traditions and preparation methods from around the world. Storytelling is also important, so we try to make the names of our dishes as evocative as possible. We lead with a passion for food in our marketing. It’s not about providing a remedy, we simply want to enhance people’s lives with food that they’re going to want to come back and eat time and time again.”
At Copper Branch, Paterson says, “Our slogan is Think, Eat, Change. We want consumers to connect food with change, whether that’s changing their health or changing the environment.”
By embracing vegetarian, flexitarian and pescatarian dishes, the foodservice industry is not only meeting the evolving preferences of consumers but also contributing to a healthier, more sustainable future for all.
