Adding Plant-Based Options to Your Restaurant Menu: Lessons from Hacienda de los Morales
/In July 2024, Hacienda de los Morales, a prestigious and historic restaurant in Mexico City, launched a 100% plant-based menu, catering to the growing demand for vegan and healthy dining options. The restaurant, which serves about 115,000 customers per year and has been around since 1967, is enthusiastic about entering this new market. They worked with Mariana Issa and Gerardo Ortiz, consultants trained by Vegan Hospitality in partnership with EligeVeg, a Mexico based organization. This initiative provides a valuable case study for other restaurants looking to introduce plant-based dishes to their menus.
Here are actionable tips inspired by their successful implementation.
Understand the Demand
Research Trends: Stay aware of national and international culinary trends, noting the increasing demand for plant-based options at trade shows and in industry articles.
Customer Preferences: Recognize the growing interest in vegan and healthy eating habits among diners, through communication with current customers as well as surveying potential customers and keeping an eye on your competitor’s menus.
Develop a Diverse Menu
Offer Variety: When adding vegan options, include a range of dishes from appetizers to desserts. Hacienda de los Morales’ menu features salads, soups, main dishes, and desserts, all crafted from plant-based ingredients. including plant based cheeses and meat alternatives.
Highlight Quality Ingredients: Use innovative products to create familiar vegan-friendly dishes that mirror the quality and experience of the traditional options. Hacienda de los Morales’ dessert option, for example, is a coconut mousse with chocolate truffle. They also offer vegan wines.
Work with Experts
Consult Specialists: Collaborate with organizations such as Vegan Hospitality, EligeVeg, and our network of independent consultants local to your region for expertise in developing plant-based dishes and vegan friend guest services.
Supplier Relations: Build relationships with suppliers who provide high-quality plant-based ingredients. In the case of Hacienda de los Morales, they tapped into Elige Veg’s network of suppliers which allowed them to become connected with the highest quality of plant based products available to them.
Train Your Staff
Comprehensive Training: Train your staff thoroughly to accommodate various dietary preferences and to understand the importance of vegan options. Consultants Marianna and Gerardo were integral in implementing staff training for the launch of this exciting new menu.
Empathy and Knowledge: Ensure staff can effectively communicate the benefits and details of plant-based dishes to customers. When staff are well trained, they also benefit from feeling confident in upselling the plant based options.
Create a Clear Menu Presentation
Distinct Menu Section: Create a separate section or dedicated menu for plant-based options, like Hacienda de los Morales’ green-covered “Vegan Menu.” Any plant-based dishes that would enhance your traditional menu and not compete with traditional options could also be integrated into the traditional menu, if your budget allows for a reprint.
Clear Labeling: Use symbols to clearly indicate plant-based ingredients and vegan-friendly wines. Hacienda de los Morales opted for a QR code to share information with guests on their vegan wine options.
Promote Your Offerings
Effective Communication: Use social media and other platforms to announce and promote your new menu items. Working with Vegan Hospitality trained consultants at EligeVeg offered Hacienda de los Morales a boost in promotion, by tapping into vegan media.
Engaging Storytelling: Share the journey and inspiration behind your plant-based offerings to connect with your audience. Showcase to your vegan customers that you designed your new programming with their interests in mind, and that you care about their patronage.
Respond to Feedback
Continuous Improvement: Actively collect and respond to customer feedback to continually refine your plant-based menu.
Ongoing Support: Consider maintaining consultancy support to ensure the successful implementation and adaptation of your plant-based menu. Mariana and Gerardo, in this case, are continuing to provide support for the restaurant moving forward.
Importance of Online Reviews
In 2024, online reviews significantly influence restaurant success:
Impact on Decisions: The majority of diners choose restaurants based on online reviews, with U.S. guests coming in at 94%, according to TripAdvisor’s “Influences on Diner Decision-Making” survey. Increasing your vegan clientele improves search engine rankings to vegan and health-conscious guests by increasing reviews that mention vegan options.
Timely Responses: Businesses should respond to reviews within 24-48 hours; prompt, empathetic responses show customers they are valued and can boost SEO. If a vegan customer makes a complaint, take it seriously and attempt to understand their concern. Oftentimes, vegan guests are also guests with health concerns or allergies, which present a greater issue than simply not enjoying their meal.
Effective Management: Address specific customer grievances transparently and participate in professional development opportunities that will allow your staff to better respond to negative feedback, before those experiences make it online.
Adding plant-based options to your restaurant menu can attract new customers and cater to evolving dietary trends. By understanding demand, developing a diverse menu, working with experts, training staff, presenting your menu clearly, promoting your offerings, and responding to feedback, you can successfully integrate plant-based dishes and offer delightful dining experiences for all guests. Learn from Hacienda de los Morales’ example and take your restaurant’s menu to the next level with innovative plant-based options.
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(Photo Credit: Photos provided by Hacienda de los Morales.)