Vegan options are necessary

As egg prices and bird flu continue to make headlines, now’s a good time for restaurants to evaluate their plant-based offerings. A reminder that it’s not just vegans who avoid animal products; more people are ditching meat on their plates, whether it’s for health, environmental or (now, more than ever) cost reasons. Today, we’re talking to a vegan restaurant consultant who helps restaurants navigate the world of plant-based dining and cash in on an under-served demographic. Plus, are online restaurant reservations are going to disappear in favor of pen and paper? Pull up a chair for The Prep.

On the menu:

💠 DoorDash has to pay big for pocketing tips
💠 How to prevent food-delivery disasters
💠 The key to repeat dine-in customers
💠 Bird flu isn’t the only reason egg prices are up

'Think of each option as an opportunity for guests to return'

She grew up surrounded by a family of Kosher butchers in New York. But today Meredith Marin, the founder of Vegan Hospitality, makes it her business to help create vegan-friendly menus in restaurants across the globe. In a culture that largely believes that plant-based food is bland, uninteresting and just plain unprofitable, Marin wants to change our perception of plants and how delicious they can be to your customers–and your bottom line. 

What do you say to restaurants that believe they don't need to appeal to vegans?I remind them of the "veto vote,” which is the reality of how groups choose where they will dine out when there is a vegan in the group. If there's a group of 12 people trying to decide where to eat, they will ask the vegan to choose the restaurant. I recently heard a case study from one of our consultants that a restaurant she worked with would have lost a catering order for an office ordering lunch for 60 people because two of those people were vegan. The office told them that they chose their restaurant specifically because they had vegan options.

What do you consider an adequate plant-based menu for restaurants? 
My absolute minimum vegan menu for restaurants in areas where they simply want to test demand is two to three appetizers, two to three mains (one main can be a larger portion of your top-selling appetizer), and at least one dessert. Restaurants in big cities or communities known for being vegan-friendly should have at least double that size. Think of each option as an opportunity for guests to return. If guests have tried all your options, the chances of them circling back to dine with you again in the near future are slim.

What's an easy way for restaurants to add a plant-based option?The easiest way to start would be to veganize your vegetarian option. For example, if you offer a vegan burger patty with cow's milk cheese and a non-vegan bun, then switch the bun to a vegan one and offer plant-based cheese as an option. Join a local vegan Facebook group and tell the group that you're adding vegan options and conduct polls to find out which dishes have the potential to be your best sellers.

Above: Vegan Hospitality founder Meredith Marin. (Courtesy of @veganhospitality/ Instagram)

News you need to know: DoorDash has to pony up nearly $17 million for pocketing drivers’ tips to offset the base pay it had already guaranteed to workers.

What we’re looking forward to: The demand for mocktails is growing, and not just because Gen Z is health conscious; they’re more than happy to pay for a special “experience,” even if it’s zero proof.

What we love to see: A casual Mexican spot in Los Angeles gets the top spot on Yelp’s Top 100 US Restaurants 2025. The runner-up is a former food cart in Oregon that specializes in gyros.

Who we’re following: This over-the-top fitness and cooking influencer with an affinity for '80s music, whose best friend is a pug named Fraser.

Plus: Here’s why digital-first restaurants will excel in 2025.

Consumers are getting fed (up) with food delivery

Increasingly, consumers are disappointed with apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats, despite evidence that food delivery is expected to increase by 10% in the coming years. According to a recent Chatmeter analysis of two million customers, nearly half of delivery-related reviews are negative. Even worse, after a single bad experience, half of survey respondents said they would avoid ordering from the restaurant again, with 25% saying they would choose not to dine at the restaurant. 

Advice for restaurants? Capture feedback, optimize pricing and empathize with your customers’ experience. “While the ‘fault’ of a poor experience often lies with a delivery app, there’s no reason a restaurant can’t show empathy for a customer’s situation and take steps to turn them into a returning customer,” says Chatmeter CEO John Mazur.

He also suggests that restaurants minimize complaints before they happen. “Implementing quality checks at multiple stages of order preparation can ensure the correct orders go to the right people. Ensuring third-party delivery drivers can clearly identify and pick up the correct order is also critical.” (QSR)

In 2025, restaurants prioritize dining-in

As food delivery continues to gain speed, restaurants are putting more effort into attracting dine-in customers. According to the National Restaurant Association’s State of the Industry Report 2025, 81% of consumers say they’d eat at full-service restaurants more often if they could afford it. Sixty percent of quick service restaurant operators say dine-in visits would be more essential this year, while a whopping 90% of fine-dining operators say the same, according to the report. Restaurants are taking note of these numbers, offering everything from more inviting environments to curated menus and special events like cooking classes.

Why it Matters: “Amazing food will bring people in one time, but amazing ambiance and culture will bring them in over and over and over, even with mediocre food,” says Bo Davis, CEO and co-founder of MarginEdge, a firm that makes restaurant management software, adding that consistency and atmosphere are key to repeat consumers. (Restaurant Dive)  

91

Percent of independent restaurants that raised prices in 2024 to offset rising costs.
(2025 James Beard Independent Restaurant Industry Report)

💠 Restaurants contend with egg shortage on Fat Tuesday

💠 How five restaurants treat their VIPs

💠 Bird flu isn't the only reason for egg price hike

💠 John Oliver tackles tipping in the latest 'Last Week Tonight'

"I think you’re going to see more restaurants go back to the [reservation] book. It’s going to happen. You’re going to have to make a call… and talk to an individual."

-Dave Chang, podcast host and celebrity chef/restaurateur

🎧 Episode 537 of The Dave Chang Show

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