According to Crains’s Chicago Business magazine, when Native Foods, a chain of 26 vegan restaurants, in September eliminated three faux-beef items, each of which were below 3 percent of total sales, they lost customers. Same-store sales dropped up to 5 percent in consecutive weeks in October. The chain’s co-owner and president, Andrea McGinty said, “We flat-out made a big mistake and only looked at the numbers and didn’t look at the veto vote,” McGinty says, referring to instances in which one member of a group of diners vetoes a restaurant because he or she doesn’t like anything on the menu. “Our hard-core carnivores had nowhere to go on the menu” after Native Foods removed its Reuben sandwich, Italian meatball sub and bistro steak.” Native Food then brought the items back. Of course the veto vegetarian is a good reason for non-vegetarian restaurants to carry vegan items.
For more information on vegetarian restaurants, see:
http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php
For market info, see:
http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/market.htm
http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/faq.htm#poll