​Flex your menu

A number of food industry analysts are looking at 2019 as a turning point for plant-based meats. One in three American consumers is a flexitarian, according to a recent study from OnePoll, and while the Big Mac is hardly going away, plant-based (and even patty-free) options are appearing on menus with greater frequency as more consumers adopt vegetarian or flexitarian diets. A confluence of factors are driving the trend, from an increased consumer focus on eating more organic or natural foods, to greater interest in the treatment of animals, to health concerns. There are a number of ways you can make your menu more pleasing to flexitarians without disappointing the carnivores in your midst. First, make your meat count. If a flexitarian is eating meat just once or twice a week, it’s got to be a special: a petit filet mignon, premium-quality bacon, house-ground brisket. Second, break beyond the usual suspects. There are some tired plant-based menu items out there. Pasta primavera is but one — and it’s not likely you’ll lure flexitarians or vegetarians unless you have more creative tricks up your sleeve. Add some options or make your existing options stand out from those of competitors. Finally, while there is a place for a meatless burger made from plants in disguise, simple vegetables (done well) can stand their ground at the center of the plate. As Hamilton Beach Commerical points out, the vegan, raw, six-course tasting menu at Washington, D.C.’s Elizabeth’s Gone Raw is one example. A recent menu included pink banana squash soup with sage crème fraîche, curry spaghetti squash and turmeric ginger foam; and cauliflower panna cotta with seaweed caviar, parsnip celeriac crème, black garlic chips and shaved persimmon. Not a Portobello burger in sight.