Millennials embracing plant based diets forcing restaurants to take notice

Thursday, 11 February 2021

Michael Khuwattanasenee says the fact more and more people are interested in eating less meat led him to open Khu Khu, a vegan Thai restaurant in Ponsonby, Auckland.

“When you look overseas there are so many vegan places, but New Zealand is still lagging behind,” Khuwattanasenee said.

Before starting Khu Khu, Khuwattanasenee said he wanted to do a 30-day vegan challenge as part of his market research to study what was available in Auckland.

“I found it so hard to eat out. I went to an Asian place and I asked for a vegan dish, but it was tofu and vegetables in chicken stock and fish sauce,” Khuwattanasenee said.

Khuwattanasenee, who also operates a traditional Thai restaurant in Auckland that sells meat, said for a long time vegans and vegetarian options were an afterthought on menus .

“Vegans make up less than 10 per cent of most restaurants’ client base, so it is expensive for restaurants to cater to them by having a different pans and grills exclusively for non-meat eaters.”

But that is starting to change. Young people may be leading the charge when it comes to dropping meat from their diets – and it's forcing the country’s hospitality sector to take notice.

He said Khu Khu’s customer base was mostly university students and young professionals.

“The younger generation is definitely driving the vegan trend. Parents are no longer the decision-makers, the children are forcing mum and dad to eat vegan food.”

When he asked customers why they turned vegan, many said it was because of their impact on the environment and on future generations.

“Some of they as young as 16, have told me they worry about the next generation. That’s incredible. I didn’t have such a long-term view at that age.”

NZ Vegetarian Society spokesman Philip McKibbin said millennials were embracing plant-based diets at a higher rate than previous generations.

One of the key reasons was social consciousness.

“More than for health reasons, young people are more conscious about the environment and sustainability. They’re more affected by climate change and animal welfare,” McKibbin said.

The number of New Zealanders eating “meat-free” jumped to 15 per cent last year, according to the latest Colmar Brunton Better Futures report.

The report showed in 2018, that number was 10 per cent, and the year before, just 7 per cent.

Supermarkets had embraced this trend with Countdown and New World having dedicated vegan and vegetarian sections in their stores.

Google Trends showed earlier this year, New Zealand ranked fifth in the world for veganism.

McKibbin said as more people considered plant-based diets, it made sense for restaurants to cater to this trend.

“Even if there’s one person who is vegetarian or vegan in a group of diners, they will want to cater to them. If you’re a restaurant not offering good vegan or vegetarian options you’re potentially losing out on that whole group’s business,” he said.

Wellington food blogger Eleni McCallum, 23, stopped eating meat two years ago after moving to France, where she was working at a vegan restaurant.

McCallum said although she initially stopped eating meat due to concerns of animal welfare, it was the environmental impact of meat production had that led her to stay vegan.

“It was very easy to be vegan in Europe because they are so far ahead. They have so many meat and dairy alternatives. When I visited New Zealand last year I found it really hard to find good places to eat,” McCallum said.

She said after returning to New Zealand last year, she decided to start her Instagram page Veganella.NZ highlighting vegan restaurants because there were far fewer options here than overseas.

In just six months, McCallum has gathered nearly 1000 followers on her page as more people look for vegetarian and vegan recipes and restaurants.

“I’ve become the go-to person in among family and friends for recommendations on where to eat.

“I think people want to eat less meat but they’re scared that vegan food tastes bad. That’s not true, there are more places catering to vegans and vegetarians on their menus, and determined to make it taste good.”

Khuwattanasenee said that he was adamant to create a menu for vegans that tasted good because of misconceptions about plant based diets.

“People still associate vegan food with a bowl of leaves and some olive oil. Flavour and quality are the most important thing.”

Khuwattanasenee said the vegan community in Auckland was small but supportive of businesses that were bringing them more options.

“It’s about marketing your food to a niche group and doing a really good job of it. After Covid-19 hit us, our shop caught on fire and we were shut for a month, but the community really showed their support, offering to clean up for us.

“When you really care about customers, they care about you back.”