According to the data of the app HappyCow, which operates almost all over the world, there are only 6 places in Lithuania that serve only vegan food. Three of them are in Vilnius, the remaining three are in Kaunas. In the capitals of neighboring countries, the numbers are much higher: in Riga, you can eat exclusively vegan food in 7 places, in Tallinn - in 9, and in Warsaw you can choose one of 69 places for vegan lunch or dinner.
The organization "Gyvi gali" declares that this is only the beginning and has no doubt that such places will increase significantly in the future. They hope to contribute to this with their new campaign "Here you can", encouraging public catering establishments to include more plant-based dishes on their menus. "Café and restaurant owners want to follow trends and be able to offer plant-based versions of dishes to their customers." Unfortunately, not all of them know where to start. We hope to help catering establishments to have more plant-based food, and to help people discover places where they can taste such food", says the head of the organization, Meda Šermukšnė.
Lists the most common mistakes
The representative of the organization "Gyvi gali" claims to notice that some public catering establishments repeat several mistakes that prevent them from increasing the sales of plant-based dishes. Examples include separating plant-based dishes into a separate section of the menu labeled "Vegetarians and Vegans" or writing the name of dishes not to reveal the features of the dish, but to indicate its nature.
"According to various studies in other countries, adding plant-based dishes to the general menu, rather than singling them out as suitable only for vegans or vegetarians, can increase sales by up to 2 times. Plant-based dishes are not only chosen by vegetarians or vegans, so it is important not to indicate that they are only for them. The same applies to the names of dishes - in them it is important to reveal the taste and subtleties of the dish, and not what the dish is intended for. After all, Vegan Broccoli Soup sounds less appealing than Creamy Broccoli Soup with Coconut Cream", M. Šermukšnė shares her observations.
Among the first members is the only vegan donut restaurant
The first three restaurants that joined the campaign, offering plant-based dishes, are scattered in the two largest cities - Vilnius and Kaunas. Among them is "Rosehip", which serves only vegan food, located in Vilnius, which is loved not only by vegans or vegetarians, but also by omnivores. It is so popular that it is often difficult to find a seat in the evenings, so it is better to reserve a table in advance.
Kaunas-based "DODA Uzkandinė", which offers quality fast food dishes, and the third member of the "Čia gali" campaign, "Holy Donut", famous for their donuts and breakfast club, which can be found in both big cities, also made it to the list of first members.
"We are very happy with these memberships. It's nice to see that cafes don't forget to include plant-based dishes on the menu. Few people probably know that some of the popular Holy Donut donuts are free of animal products. Such partners help us to surprise the public with the taste and variety of vegan nutrition", says M. Šermukšnė, a representative of the organization running the campaign.
