Adding vegan and vegetarian dishes to your restaurant menu and how to present them

The addition of vegetarian and vegan options to restaurant menus is not a passing trend; instead, it is part of efforts to make the restaurant environmentally responsible and is one of the most highly rated current dining trends. Not only that, providing vegetarian and vegan dishes implies an increase in potential clientele, as well as satisfying a wider range of choices for regular customers. 

This is undoubtedly a choice that needs to be taken care of down to the last detail, from cost evaluation to presentation proposals, but it is also an option not to be missed.

The Ghisa line accompanies great classics, also in vegan versions

Vegans and vegetarians: a growing trend

Let’s be clear first: what is the difference between vegetarian and vegan? The first choice concerns people who abstain from eating meat, which includes not only red meat, but also poultry, pork, and fish. The vegan does not eat any animal product, which includes, especially meat, but also any dish that contains food from animals, such as eggs and dairy products. 

The latest Eurispes 2022 data confirm how vegetarian and vegan diets are now an established phenomenon in Italy: 5.4 percent of Italians are vegetarian, while 1.3 percent are vegan. These figures have practically doubled since 2014, particularly for vegans, who were 0.6 percent. Consider also that consumers are also simply looking for plant-based foods, without necessarily declaring themselves vegan or vegetarian, because they want to reduce their protein intake. This type of purchase grew by percentages between 34 percent and 47 percent among ready meals, frozen foods, drinks and sauces. Italians are looking for alternatives to traditional food, so it is important to offer a varied menu that includes vegan and vegetarian options.

Tips for serving vegan and vegetarian dishes at your restaurant

Once it is established how vegetarian and vegan foods are the result of people’s awareness of the environmental impact of what they eat and that it is also a choice for their health, it is crucial to proceed with the right methodology to add new dishes to the restaurant menu.

Choosing dishes that suit your restaurant

Once you have decided to implement dishes dedicated to vegetarians and vegans, it is important to know the key ingredients that can make this type of cuisine truly versatile. Choose only quality vegetables, grains and fruits from reliable suppliers and add items to the menu in line with the concept of your restaurant. The dishes should harmonize with the courses, and each combination will be balanced and curated so that only the best is offered to diners. It is important to work on a team level: all staff, starting with the chef will need to update themselves and study creative solutions suitable for the new menu to meet the needs of all customers, regulars and new ones. 

The best porcelain, to present any culinary combination

Serving vegetables and grains with the best tableware

As with any type of cuisine, from the most traditional to the most innovative, vegetarian and vegan cuisine deserve the right presentation to enhance flavors, colors, and aromas. Don’t just add salads, but take the time to come up with complete, well-balanced dishes that include starters, main courses, side dishes, desserts and one-dish meals. 

It is by no means true that vegetarian and, in particular, vegan cooking present few options to gladden even the eyes of your customers: there is never an end to the combinations of colors and shapes you can come up with by mixing fresh and tasty ingredients for everyone. A crisp salad peeps out of the oval salad bowl, Ghisa line: a perfect mix of shades in the chicest and most striking black to emphasize the authenticity of the food. Seasoned potatoes enhanced by garish wisps of parsley are accompanied at the table by Gastronorm basic, Ghisa line, to complete tastes of nature. Traditional flavors and fusions of cuisines from around the world come together in soups, pureed, and broths that can be served with a touch of contemporary style in items from the Hotel line, in black or white variants, with deep oval plates, or in bowls and cups, such as the practical and minimal oblique buffet cup, Buffet line, for a touch of functional design that never hurts. Rice, soybeans, quinoa, tofu and spicy sauces, and vegetable burgers triumph as the main course in artistic compositions that allow customers to choose how to mix side dishes on Insert trio, Buffet line, or in the more delicate lines of tris plate, Millenium line. Separations are more pronounced with 2-, 3- or 4-sections plates from the Complementi line. Finally, savory pies please the most refined palates with an original presentation on slate-effect square stand, Porcellana Ardesia line. 

The square stand from the Porcellana Ardesia line is perfect for savory pies with any vegetable

The nature of vegetarians and vegans in MPS quality porcelain

What setting more than vegetarian and vegan, in harmony with the environment and nature, is better suited to bring out the best in porcelain? A material originating from the earth, composed of feldspar, quartz and kaolin, crafted by skilled artisans under strict criteria to reduce emissions and waste, in its ethereal beauty, yet at the same time so durable that it can be reused for years, thus also helping to reduce pollution. MPS porcelain items become part of a story of inclusion and innovation, yours. 

For every type of dish, style and cuisine our more than 30 product lines created with the needs of Ho.Re.Ca. professionals in mind are the answer you’re looking for to present your new vegetarian and vegan dishes on the table. Safe and certified by ICQ, they are also dishwasher, oven and microwave safe. Explore different styles, MPS Porcelain is by the side of top chefs in every culinary creation.