Do you think a vegan/vegetarian restaurant would survive.?

Question

I want to open a restaurant that specializes in vegetarian/vegan menu choices. Do you think it would work? If so, where? just curious.

Answer 1

I think it will definately work.

With the latest food trends in American society, I highly doubt it being a failure. There's a vegetarian restaurant in NYC that has been open for a few years now. They are highly successful due to the fact of American's obsession with healthy foods and their great locale.

When figuring out where you would like to open it, take in to consideration the style of restaurant you are going to have. Is it near or far from a popular place (such as malls, movie theaters, major roads/highways, etc.)? Is there enough interest in the area where when you do open your store, there's going to be people already lined up at the door? Who's the Chef and are they vegetarian? It's always nice to have a vegetarian chef working at a vegetarian restaurant because they know what vegans want. Also, take in to consideration that people would like to know how their food is prepared. They want the satisfaction of knowing that your food isn't just pre-packaged, but made fresh, ready-to-order.

Of course, there's alot more to consider. Those are just some of the main things to look into.

If you open a restaurant specializing in vegetarian cuisine, make sure it's in a largely populated area (such as NYC, LA, Miami, Nashville, San Fran., etc.). The bigger the better.

There's not alot of vegetarian restaurants out in America. Chances are, if you have good food, good presentation of the food, you're going to live to see your 1st-year anniversary.

Good-luck to you and happy trails on this exciting journey you are about to embark on.

Answer 2

You have to know the city before you open a restaurant. I live in Winnipeg, Canada and it's a city that's known for having a lot of vegetarians/vegans. We have 3 successful vegetarian restaurants here, and many restaurants that have a separate veggie menu.

Keep in mind that most successful vegetarian restaurants are Asian vegetarian. There's something about that style of food that works so well with veggie "meat" products, like veggie beef and chicken and shrimp and duck etc.

Answer 3

Unfortunately, I don't think it would survive. I am a vegetarian, and I am always disappointed in my menu options at regular restaurants. I finally found this great vegetarian/vegan place in the city (Cincinnati) but it ended up closing within 5 years of opening, while the other restaurants in the area are still going strong. In other parts of the country, there is a chance it might catch on, but we are such a minority in the US, that I don't think that type of restaurant would fare well, although I would certainly throw my business at it!!

Answer 4

I have been in the restaurant equipment business for about 10 years now. Although I am a vegetarian, and would love to see another vegetarian restaurant appear, I would highly discourage you from opening any kind of restaurant. I have set up restaurants, and seen them fail in as little as one month. The average cost to open a deli in Seattle, is about $60,000.00 and that is if you buy used equipment. Last year I saw a business loose $300,000.00 in three months, and I would hate to see you go through the same thing. Seattle has many vegetarian restaurants, and I try to go there as often as possible to support them, but I know that it's only a matter of time before they will fail. I know that people will say that there local restaurant is always full so they must be making a ton of money, but there not. The rent is $1.50 a square foot, and the average rent is about $3,500.00 a month. On top of that you have natural gas, electricity, phone, sewer, water, garbage, employees, taxes, and then all the food. Add all that up then see how many $10.00 diners you will have to sell to just break even. And if you do break even, the refrigerator goes out and you have to pay me $100.00 an hour to fix it. The money is not there and you will NEVER get rich owning a restaurant. I once asked an owner what it was like to own a restaurant and he said "Take all your money out of the bank, max out your credit cards, mortgage your house, sell your car for cash, take all your spare change in your pockets, place it in a big pile on the floor, then light it on fire. Now you own a restaurant!" But I do thank you for being a vegetarian and wanting to serve good food, but please don't waste your money. Good luck.

Answer 5

I think it would, but maybe not in a smaller town where there aren't a lot of veggies. I'd say try it in a big city or maybe a college town somewhere.

You might also consider making it a veggie/vegan-FRIENDLY restaurant (like say 50% of the items are veggie/vegan) at first, then seeing how it goes. If that portion of the menu does well, you could start phazing out the meat-based stuff.

I think you should come open it up in Mt Vernon, WA. I'd be a regular! :)

Answer 6

Yay!!!!!

Absolutely, but do your research first and work out where you are going, and what type of veggie food you are aiming for. Personally, I would go the stylish + healthy-but-tasty route and serve everything from sandwiches to world dishes, rather than target a particular food type, like currys or mexican so you can appeal to all people (some people don't like Thai food, some vegetarians disapprove of unhealthy vegetarianism etc). I'd also have dishes suitable for nut-allergy sufferers, coelics etc.

In London there are tonnes of pure veggie restaurants. In the Asian areas of other parts of London, Hinduism has caused the vegetarian community to thrive.

I live out of London, but there's at least 4 pure veg restaurants within a 10 minute drive.

There's even raw food restaurants in the US.

Best of luck!

Answer 7

I would hope a vegan restaurant would work anywhere, but there are so many restaurants everywhere you look now and more and more mainstream meat offering restaurants are offering vegan or vegetarian dishes as well.
I personally love all vegan or all vegetarian restaurants and if there was one near me I'd go all the time.

Answer 8

Oh yes, they survive. They even thrive. One of the TOP (and most expensive) places to eat in San Francisco is "Millenium." People come from miles around to go there. And it's TINY.

There are very many Indian vegetiarian places too. Hindus are strict vegetarians. There are over 200 in California. Over 100 in Massachusets. 95 in New York.

After the link to Millenium is a link to Veg Dining. It's an online site to restaurants around the globe. Good luck and enjoy!

Answer 9

Rarely do I see them survive in the USA,.

UK maybe.

Large cities maybe.

But i hear Chrissie Hynde is to open a veggie resurant in Akron, Ohio......maybe not

We run a vegetarian bed and breakfast in the UK and do just fine

3% of the world population is veggie, maybe 10% of meateaters will come and try you out. That means you are limiting your market to 13 % of the population, thats before we've even started on only 10% of people go out, only 5% of them are return customers.......you are really narrowibng your market with a veggie resturant. We've had 2 in our town - both gone within a year.....and the UK has far more veggies than the USA.

Answer 10

Yes, brilliant idea!!! I have often thought of doing so myself, (held back by lack of capital) and the fact that It would not succeed where I live !!
Places in Britain to do so would be Glasgow, (I'm amazed by the veggie choice there!!! )Leeds, London, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. It would be really well received in any of those places. In the USA I'd say anywhere in California would be good ! Buy two adjacent properties or one large one that can be split in to two ,Go Vegan only, do some 'raw food' and Fruitarian options and have a totally nut-free zone next door where you serve nut free versions of the dishes. You will be raking it in!!!