Step-By-Step Guide to Making Your Hotel Kitchen Vegan Friendly
/With plant based products and vegan guest demands booming internationally , it is important that hotels recognize this fast-growing movement and are not only ‘’getting by’’ accommodating & catering to vegan guests requests but actually start attracting them to their establishments. Now is the time for innovation.
One major aspect of this is, of course, the meals!
Vegans unfortunately will more than likely have a few food related horror stories (I know I do!) and the reality is, when they go to stay at a hotel they are putting their trust in the staff, ultimately hoping that they can serve them based on their requirements.
When someone is on holiday, they really don’t want to worry about anything. You aspire for your guests to have a vacation that feels relaxing & enjoyable, not stressful and disappointing.
Consider this your 10-step guide on how to start a vegan friendly kitchen & beyond:
Step 1. Do your research to really understand your vegan customer, what their wants are, what their needs are and why this is. If you do not understand them then you may be setting yourself up for failure before you have even looked at the food. Guests may order plant based options because of ethical commitments to animal welfare, dietary allergies or sensitivities, sustainability values, religious or other personal reasons. It’s important to understand the diverse interests and needs of this plant based market in order to serve them with excellence.
Step 2. Review your current menus and see if you have any dishes that are already vegan that you were not aware of, or any that can be easily tweaked to be made vegan, think vegetable soup served on a winters night, remove the cream or replace it with coconut cream and ensure you only use veggie stock – simple, that is now always going to be vegan. What other dishes could you make “vegan by default” to make your menu accessible to more customers?
Step 3. In addition to reviewing your standard menus look at all the ‘’extras’’ your hotel serves, such as the welcome drink, happy hour snacks, cookies, breakfast buffet, and see what you can veganize here as standard. Think morning muffins, where typically you have one standard recipe which you change the flavor of daily, why not use an amazing vegan muffin recipe as standard instead?
Step 4. Create some excellent, nutritionally balanced vegan meals for your menu, think macro & micronutrients. They need to look and taste great and fit into the theme/style & budget of your hotel. Don’t forget to include options for appetizers, main dishes, and desserts! Imagine a vegan guest being forced to sit at a table with their family, who is eating decadent ice cream brownie bowls, and the vegan guest is served a bowl of berries. How underwhelming that would be!
Step 5. Label your menu clearly so that your vegan guests know exactly what they can and cannot eat. There can be no confusion, does your V = vegan or vegetarian? Make sure your menu has a key to explain the labels. Do not forget to label your drinks menu too!
Step 6. Create standard protocols in place in the kitchen to avoid cross contamination, such as, are you using the deep fryer to fry battered fish as well as your chips? Are you using the same chopping board that you cut up a steak on to cut up your tofu? Train your staff to implement food safety and allergy protocol with consistency.
Step 7. Make sure both the kitchen staff and the FOH staff such as the servers, bar staff, hosts are trained in understanding vegan customers, what dishes on the menu are vegan, what ingredients are used, how each is cooked and how to serve vegan customers. For example, are they going to offer a vegan butter or an olive oil/balsamic vinegar with the bread rolls, did they give them the bread rolls without the egg wash? All servers and hosts should be trained to answer questions about the menu without running back and forth to the kitchen to speak with the chef.
Step 8. Advertise you are vegan friendly! I cannot stress how important this is. Doing marketing about this and being as detailed as possible is critical. Use food photos to showcase your new vegan options, show photos of your staff being trained, talk about what you have in place to ensure your vegan guests have the same experience as your traditional guests and if they come to your hotel, they will not need to worry about anything & can just relax, like everyone should when on holiday.
Step 9. Look at what other aspects you can change or become vegan friendly. Remember veganism isn’t only about the food, your spa products, room décor & amenities, wine & drinks list are all part of it. A vegan guest will immediately feel sad entering a room with a cowskin rug, or a deer head mounted on the wall.
Step 10. Think bigger picture! Sustainable travel is not just a ‘’buzz word’’ this is what not only vegans but many of your traditional guests are taking into account when they book their holiday these days. If you have proven sustainable practices in place, you can let your guests know, having plant-based options on your menu all the time, encouraging all guests to try them lowers the impact we have on the planet through factory farming and industrial fishing. Do your bit for the planet and get bookings from this at the same time.
This may sound a bit daunting and if you need assistance creating a vegan friendly environment in your hospitality establishment (above and beyond the food too), we are here to help. We are ready to guide you through the whole process, from menu evaluation through menu launch.
Reach out to us for a free first consultation by completing this quick form, and we will reach out within 24 hours to help you get started.
Article written by Hayley Cooper (Trained and Certified by Vegan Hospitality)