7 Ways to Make Your Plant-Based Menu Options Irresistible

The meat and dairy industries are huge contributors to GHG emissions and, consequently, the climate crisis. With all kinds of businesses under pressure to reduce their impact (and the global food system contributing up to 37% of total annual emissions), making a shift in how much meat appears on our menus is one logical next step.

It's not all about emissions, either: encouraging the widespread adoption of a healthier, more sustainable diet can help to transform our agricultural systems into the smart, responsible, restorative and future-friendly systems we need. As one example, adopting the recommendations for the Livewell Diet from the WWF’s Eating for Net Zero report “could deliver a 36% reduction in emissions [in the UK] and a 20% reduction in biodiversity loss compared to the current average diet, while also supporting a transition to nature-friendly farming practices”.

This report and other research like that conducted by the Eat-Lancet Commission reveal that what is best for the planet is, by and large, what is best for us too. Since consumer food choices are deeply influenced by what’s available, affordable and accessible – and how it’s marketed – the foodservice sector has a responsibility to ensure that the options on offer in any food environment are, on the whole, not just healthy and sustainable, but also desirable and reasonably priced.

Hungry for change

Luckily, consumer demand for plant-based options is increasing every year in most Western countries. In the UK, the 2023 National Conversation report from the Food, Farming & Countryside Commission revealed that “Citizens want to see more sustainable and less damaging practices across all sectors of farming, including meat and dairy, arable and horticulture. They are willing, for example, to limit themselves to meat that is better quality, less damaging to the environment and offers farmers a fairer deal.”

Most plant-based foods – especially whole foods like mushrooms, soy, beans and legumes – are typically cheaper than meat and dairy products. This means that purchasing vegetarian and vegan ingredients for use across a greater proportion of your menu can save you money. It can even have a positive effect on sales: in research conducted by Forbes, restaurants that had made the switch to 100% vegan menus reported increased sales and a boost in social media followings.

Adding more plant-based dishes can also increase creativity in the kitchen. Meat and seafood have acted as the standard centre-plate items for so long that it can be challenging to think outside the box. When it comes to how we consider, cook and serve dishes, working with a wider array of vegetarian ingredients can help inspire your kitchen team, encouraging chefs to go back to the drawing board and come up with innovative ideas.

Maintaining a great plant-based offering is key if you want to cater to groups of people: considering the preferences of the modern consumer base, the chances are that any group booking will include at least one diner who doesn’t eat meat. More inclusive menus can help your business appeal to a broader market, including vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians, diners with egg or dairy allergies, those with heart issues or high cholesterol, and environmentally-aware and health-conscious consumers.

Not everyone needs to become vegetarian or vegan in order to make a big difference to our future on this planet – studies are showing again and again that a simple reduction in the amount of meat eaten is sufficient to effect considerable change. ‘More Plants, Better Meat’ is how we frame this section of the Food Made Good Standard, encouraging the restaurants who work with us to put more plant-based dishes on their menus and to choose high-quality meat from responsible farmers, producers and suppliers.

Interested in experimenting with a wider selection of plant-based dishes on your menu? Read on for five key steps to success.

7 steps to success for your plant-based menu items