“Consumers are paying more attention to vegetables and, therefore, so are chefs,” says Greg Boyer, director of Marketing, McCain Foods Canada. “Consumer research from McCain Foodservice revealed that about half (52 per cent) of Canadians are eating more vegetables than they did a decade ago.”
“Vegetables are trending now and people are going back to more raw and cleaner cooking,” adds Devan Rajkumar, culinary consultant and brand ambassador for Toronto-based Food Dudes. He also notes that those looking to eat more sustainably are turning to plant-based offerings to help mitigate their environmental impact.
According to Technomic’s 2017 Canadian Centre of the Plate Consumer Trend Report, 27 per cent of consumers aged 18 to 34 regularly consume vegetarian substitutes at restaurants. Plus, according to studies conducted by Dalhousie University, the number of vegetarians in Canada has grown from 900,000 to 2.3 million over the past 15 years.
Given the growing range of dietary preferences, Denis Guiol, executive chef of Four Barrel Holly’s in Toronto, stresses “It’s very important, in appetizer sections, or menus [overall], to have not just one option, but multiple options,” to accommodate these guests. “If you’re going to have a [destination restaurant], you need to have playful vegetarian food,” he adds.
And, given a growing number of diners (especially from younger generations) tend to view dining out as a social experience, offering sharable plates that their entire group can enjoy is increasingly important. “It’s always fun to have sharable plates because it gives [diners] an opportunity to try different things, too,” adds Guiol.
As Boyer notes, offering vegetarian alternatives to traditional favourites not only allows guests to indulge with less guilt, but can create savings for the restaurant. “For example, try tossing McCain’s Battered Cauliflower Bites in buffalo sauce for a savoury veggie alternative to wings at a much lower food cost. Plus, plant-based versions of traditional staples offer an alternative to consumers who are looking for vegetarian options.”
In fact, with national chains and restaurants in all segments rolling out new and more refined plant-based menu items, offering tasty vegan and vegetarian options is becoming par for the course.
