What do vegans need more of?

Question

Im trying to think of ideas for a vegan business and was wondering what vegans needed more of? Such as product selection in grocery stores,desserts?frozen meals? ice cream? or would you like more restaurants/cafes to be vegan?

Answer 1

Ooh, interesting! I think new vegan restaurants would be great. It would prove that vegan food isn't boring, and there is lots of variety in vegan cuisine. Where I live, there are NO vegan restaurants, but it would be great if there were.

Vegans don't have a miserable existance on limp lettuce leaves- there's so many delicious vegan dishes out there. I would happily welcome a vegan restaurant in my area! =)

[edit] Another poster recommended a vegan cheese shop- that's a great idea!

Answer 2

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I'm in business analytics... in terms of restaurants--vegan is too risky. Either you have some kick-butt AMAZING recipes, or you'll  just gross everyone out with the blandness that should be saved for home-cooking.

I mean why pay for bland vegan?

In addition, the vegan community is not crowded enough in one area for a restaurant to be sustainable. You have lease, inventory, overhead, labor, etc.  For example, you see quite a few answers so far that say they want vegan cafes. But first of all, how much business does each of them contribute? And look at their locations... they're wide spread.  They may only represent a handful of vegans in their community.  It's obvious that veganism is not big enough in any single area, aside from maybe Berkeley in California, but they have enough of that there.

there just aren't enough vegans to cover the costs associated with the business,.. don't forget competition.  Yes we can also say, some vegetarians will want to eat at a vegan place sometimes... SOMETIMES. If it was all the time, they'd be vegan, and we know the community is too small. You'll be fighting for each customer in a vegan restaurant business.

Grocery stores, it's better to have a vegan aisle because the vegan community is NOT big enough to cover your lease and inventory costs. Grocery stores tend to make no more than 3 cents per item sold. So as a vegan, you really have to make up for all that slack.  It's probably much better to make a vegetarian produce store and/or a nice little co-op.    Even those are kinda tough.

From what I see, based on your question, you'll be seeking a grocery business that's heavily focused on organic groceries (has a high appeal regardless of diets), vegan aisle, supplements, cosmetics/hygeine such as specialty soaps, washes, oils, etc.

EDIT EDIT EDIT

EDIT EDIT EDIT

:  I can already see the negative votes piling up for me. Well, I'm just putting out a practical business potential analysis to evaluate vegan-strict businesses in the market today.  As much as you are a vegan enthusiast, and as much as you want the convenience of having a vegan-strict shop to go to to alleviate your hassle and confusion, if there aren't enough people in a convenience region/parameter, you're gonna throw money away towards your establishment.  And if you want to convenience a few people at the expense of your own livelihood and debt, so be it. I'm just being practical here. THIS IS BUSINESS!  

It's like saying a community of 50 people living in the middle of nowhere, with absolutely no other life within a proximity/radius of 100 miles, asks for a theme park because they just love theme parks. They'll bash the logical businessman that says NO. And they'll praise their community folk that support it.  Do you think that theme park will survive by putting it in the middle of nowhere just for those 50 people?  Can anyone spell BANKRUPT?

As much as you love vegan, and I like a good vegan dish every now and then myself since I'm vegetarian, but you have to be practical about business.  GET A BUSINESS DEGREE AND YEARS OF PRACTICE BEFORE HANDING A NEGATIVE VOTE. THANKS.

IN FACT, this should be taken as an opportunity. You now have an idea of why this business wouldn't work, and see if you can work around the problems I listed. DUHHH! I'm hired for pay, you think Ima offer THAT MUCH free service?

EDIT # 2

EDIT #2

#2

For those who voted negative, really, stop being selfish. I'm giving coco this surface analysis to point out the apparent market difficulties for her to overcome and succeed. While you guys waste her time by giving her the useless "rah rah GO FOR IT DUDETTE!" advice, I'm trying to point out some things to think about in order for her to come up with a successful business!

While you guys selfishly urge coco to go for the vegan restaurant/shop, just so that you guys can comfortably eat at her restaurant, oh let's say... once a week, while coco plunges herself into debt to open this business AND has to struggle to find a patron because your selfish butt only comes once a week!  Come on!  COCO needs business advice, not a bunch of cheerleaders! She's looking at it from a business perspective and will have to undergo the torture of devil's advocate, reality, practicality, and logic.

To extend an example,

Let's see coco opens a vegan restaurant in town ABC. That town has only 50 vegans. Each vegan will only eat there once a week, maybe more maybe less, so average 1/week.  That's your primary market. Now you tell me how much business coco is gonna get!

Maybe I'm getting so much bad votes on the double cuz I haven't provided a solution. Though I normally don't do this...

my suggestion to coco is that you understand that this is not an ideal society for vegetarianism, much less veganism.  However, vegetarian restaurants are starting to pick up a bit and do better, but many still undergo the 1-year lifespan, harder than a meat-place.

So...

In terms of market manipulation and growth, we're in a phase/stage where we must increase the vegan market outreach.  We need more vegetarians. We need more vegans!

I suggest, if you were to open a restaurant, you should make it a vegetarian restaurant that is also extremely vegan friendly. Make a vegetarian menu, and the other half is vegan, even kosher.  We have to compromise.  Vegetarian and Vegan options are different. Therefore, combining both will up your market appeal.  To me, as long as a person is eating vegetarian and not slaughtering an animal for nourishment, is EXTREMELY top notch already.  In such a world, we can't ask for too much and shoving veganism down the throat is asking for a kick to the shins.  If I were to open a veggie restaurant/shop, I'd make it vegetarian and vegan friendly.

In addition, coco... go to vegetarian restaurants and even regular restaurants that serve vegetarian and imitation meats. Learn how they use specialty ingredients. Go to Asian restaurants that do vegetarian and see how they use tofu. Chinese restaurants manipulate tofu into many delicious flavors.  That's why vegetarianism has been easier for me because I learned to use tofu in so many delicious ways.

Don't learn vegan from vegan restaurants.  Be democratic and go all over the place. Wherever there are specialty vegetarian, go there and see what they do.  Even if it's not vegan!  You can always come up with ways to MAKE A DISH VEGAN post-vegetarian!

Is there really such a thing as vegan cheese??? Is it any good?

Answer 3

protein, they dont get it from meat cos they dont have any

they could also do with more vegan jelly

Answer 4

I think that more restraunts need to be vegan. If anything, there should be whole restraunts with nothing but vegans. There are not enough restraunts that give a good meal without some kind of animal in it. I feel bad for the animals, giving up there lives so you guys can eat them.

Answer 5

More veg*an restaurants--or veg*an options in chain restaurants.  

I would love more frozen entrees to bring to work for lunch.  There are few options around--many of the veg-friendly companies have dairy in their entrees/meals.  There is a company that makes veggie analogues, but they're not full meals, just veggie "steaks," veggie "ribs," veggie drummettes, etc.

Answer 6

I would like to see more restaurants/cafes be vegan.  It can be really tricky to find different places to eat out.

Many stores now have at least a small section of healthy/organic foods where they also put out vegetarian and vegan food.  Except vegan cheese...vegan cheese is hard to find.  Maybe you should open a vegan cheese shop!

Answer 7

I've been vegan for years and I don't feel deprived in the least. I make delicious food every day and don't miss eating animal flesh or dairy at all. For the person who said "why eat boring, bland vegan food" obviously hasn't tried eating vegan. Nowadays there are endless options for vegans. I especially like eating tortillas with black beans and rice with salsa, eating endless different soups and salads, vegetable sushi, fruit smoothies, boca burgers, etc. I could literally fill ten pages of awesome food that I make. Anyways, my point is that I don't feel deprived at all..... if anything I have a lot of fun trying new vegan recipes and the satisfaction of knowing that your dinner didn't come as a result of slaughtering an animal is the ultimate reward for eating the way I do.

Answer 8

MORE POWER!!!

sorry too home improvment as a kid.

but i think the best thing... would be a fast food chain that has vegan food, some how.

just becuase nights i am in a hurry and have like 5 minutes for dinner, it is hard to find anything fast. or good for that matter.

Answer 9

All we need is understanding. And an Animal Rights Revolution...

Not to much to ask for eh?

Answer 10

we should go into business together!!

I have ALWAYS wanted to open a bakery =)

but anyway....i would love to see more veg restaurants and cafes! there are only a couple here in indianapolis....not a great ratio =(

Answer 11

Yes I would like more cafes/restaurants to be vegan. all of them should be , you know, but whatever.  I think thatjust having nice bread and vegetables/fruit would be really good.

Answer 12

Cheese. Most "vegan" cheese has casein in it, I hate it!! And more variety. I hate living off plain tofu. I wish stores sold breaded tofu and tofu on a stick =D and stuff like that. And jello. Oh, how I miss that strawberry flavored, 5-calorie jello...

Answer 13

oohh i would go to a vegan restraunt!!!! in grocery stores, i think that they need more frozen meals ice cream, and desserts as you said, and they need more breakfast foods and fake meat (they ussually have some, but i think there should be more). i like this question!!!! : )

EDIT: and greg l, how do you know that her recepies arent amazing? i bet you hav never even tried vegan food. i disagree with you.

Answer 14

i'd like more restraunts 2 become vegan because vegans never get to eat at restraunts. you can use all these recipes to make up the menu:

http://www.chooseveg.com/vegan-recipes.a...

hope this helped and good luck on your new business