Eat real food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
-Michael Pollan
One of the food trends we were most looking forward to in 2018 was the rise of the vegetables. Plant-based foods have been moving closer to the center of the plate, but in the past few months, they’ve also been making headlines. It’s taken a while, but at least part of Michael Pollan’s 2006 mantra has truly taken hold. “Mostly plants” is a dietary choice that’s growing faster than the movement against straws (ok, maybe not, but we think this vegetarian food trend will last longer.)
In just the past few months, Impossible Meats has doubled their production, WeWork announced their vegetarian-only dining policy, and the phrase “vegetable slaughterhouse” has almost started to sound normal. In LA, we don’t think twice about meatless meals — compared to juice cleanses and watching your macros, a plate filled with vegetables doesn’t seem like much of a sacrifice — but this trend is taking hold across the country and around the world. Even the UK, not typically known for either their vegetables or their trend-setting cuisine, is taking a major role in moving vegetable-centric dishes to the top of the menu. Even the Great British Baking Show just announced that their next season will include a Vegan Week, and we can’t wait to see it.
And us? We’re helping our clients expand their stories and their brands to include new options for the vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores of the world. We knew this trend was going somewhere when the altar of burgers & bacon, Slater’s 50/50, didn’t just add the Impossible Burger, but sold it like crazy — and not just at the beach locations (check out the campaign we created to launch it).
Past client Bobcat Diner shows off how to do veg-centric options, with their Portobello Mushroom Burger
The Pie Hole, normally known for their homemade butter crusts and custard pies, is testing a vegan Blackberry Mango Galette that we’re launching on social, to go with an array of sweet & savory vegetarian options (Veggie Curry Pot Pie anyone?). Even the just-opened Bok Bok, another client, may have a chicken in their logo, but their fresh, crispy falafel might just convince us to give up meat forever.
It’s no longer enough to have one veggie option to address the dinner plan “veto vote.” Restaurants are making great food that happens to be vegan, vegetarian, or plant-based, because it’s the right thing to do. It’s good for the planet, and it’s good for business.
We’ll raise of glass of cold brew with oat milk to that.
