The Rapid Growth of Maryland Vegan Restaurant Week

Approach

Naijha started by reaching out to people she knew personally to generate interest in the idea of a vegan restaurant week. She talked to her colleagues in the restaurant business, both vegan and non-vegan. The goal was to register restaurants to participate in Vegan Week while gaining media attention.

A VegFund grant supported marketing efforts through social media, influencers, television, and news media coverage. Naijha sent out a press release and advertised to inform the public about the purpose of Baltimore Vegan Restaurant Week. Local television station WBAL produced segments at both The Land of Kush and Golden West Cafe. Branding the event as inclusive was important — they wanted it to be clear that it was welcoming to all cultures. Their messaging emphasizes that the a vegan restaurant week is not just for vegans! It’s fun for the whole family, including non-vegans, who can taste new foods and break bread in a festive, celebratory atmosphere.

Meanwhile, the team also worked on budgeting, creating the website, Maryland Vegan Eats (MDVE), establishing an LLC, and developing a presence on social media. In fact, from the beginning, social media and food blogging influencers helped to get the word out. The Maryland Vegan Eats team also coordinated events and live streams with organizations, such as No Meat Athlete and Baltimore Vegan Drinks, whose messages are supportive for vegans and the vegan-curious alike.

Their strategy with influencers is so effective that it was featured in an article in The Baltimore Sun. The article describes how restaurant owners who want to work with an influencer during Maryland Vegan Restaurant Week can pay a fee depending on the level of service they would like. Rachel Paraoan, the influencer coordinator, arranges everything.

This strategy is important because Naijha and Sam can’t be in all restaurants at once. It’s valuable to have influencers taking pictures, posting stories, eating the food, and sharing their experiences with the public.

 

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Challenges

Restaurants may be hesitant to participate because they want some assurance that their efforts will be good for their bottom line. It’s important to help them understand that new plant-based offerings will open up a market they have yet to tap into. Participating restaurants have discovered that there was a hole in the market, not just for vegans but for those who are vegan-curious. And, because Maryland Vegan Restaurant Week collects data and feedback from patrons and restaurants, they can provide evidence to demonstrate how well a restaurant can do by taking part!

Some restaurants believe that it’s too competitive to offer plant-based food because there’s already a vegan restaurant in their area. But, there’s room in the market to feature a variety of cuisines people may be craving in vegan form. In Maryland, for example, there are Egyptian, American, Soul Food, Pan Asian vegan restaurants — many possibilities!

Other restaurants may be reluctant to try cooking in new ways, so it’s helpful to introduce them to vegan ingredients that will be familiar for them to work with, such as Earth Balance butter, Impossible and Beyond meat products, and Just Egg. And while some restaurants may not want to use mock meats because they want to focus on whole-food, plant-based menu items, for others, it’s an excellent gateway to exploring new cooking methods. Naijha and Sam organized the MDVE Restaurant Expo to give restaurateurs the opportunity to taste plant-based products that are available to them and imagine the possibilities.

Watch our interview with Naijha and Sam, in which they share more effective strategies for vegan activists!

Results

In the first round of Baltimore Vegan Restaurant Week, 35 restaurants participated. In 2021, that number has grown to 44 restaurants, despite a dip in 2020 due to COVID.

Demand has been so high that what was once a one-week event has expanded to nearly a month! Sam adds, “And all of the vegans in our area can attest that it’s still not enough time — they love it!” In fact, patrons submit a survey of their favorite dishes at the end of Maryland Vegan Restaurant Week, along with suggestions for improvement. The number one comment? They love it and want to see more restaurants!

 

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Other indicators of success

• Another reason they’ve extended beyond one week is to give patrons the time to try all the restaurants, including those that extend beyond the Baltimore area.
• Instead of Naijha and Sam always approaching restaurants to encourage them to register, restaurants now reach out to them to be included. In the case of Double Zero, the restaurant inquired as soon as they opened!
• More restaurants are adding plant-based food to their permanent menu or coming up with entirely vegan menus.
• People are discovering eateries that they didn’t realize already had vegan options.
• Golden West Cafe alone now goes through 600 vegan chicken patties in a week.
• The traditional Baltimore Restaurant Week now includes small businesses, such as The Land of Kush, and notes whether featured restaurants have plant-based/vegan options.
• Maryland Vegan Restaurant Week has also influenced other cities and states to start their own vegan restaurant weeks.

More tips

• Have a clear vision that you can communicate to restaurants in a way that excites them!
• Plan ahead: Organizing a vegan week is a lot of work, and you’ll need a strong team. Have a plan early on so that you can communicate to your team the work that needs to be done.
• Don’t be afraid to delegate tasks that are out of your comfort zone. For example, you might want a dedicated tech person or social media specialist.
• Design a registration model that works for both you and the restaurant participants. Maryland Vegan Restaurant week goes with a registration fee on a sliding scale that’s friendly to smaller businesses. Other models might rely on a percentage of sales, although that can be complicated to calculate.
• The money Maryland Vegan Restaurant Week makes goes back to marketing, influencers, and social media management to get the word out. A percentage goes to two charities selected each year.

Recommended reading:

Climate-Friendly Food: Vegan Education for a Healthy Planet

Veg-Curious Co-Workers? How One Advocate Designed a Lunch-and-Learn Series!

How Faunalytics Makes Animal Advocacy More Effective

What’s next?

Baltimore has served as a mecca for veganism, a unique place with the potential to bridge gaps and open conversations. And, thanks to its influence, the idea of a vegan restaurant week that began there is traveling across city and state lines!

The goal of moving from “Maryland Vegan Restaurant Week” to “Vegan Restaurant Week” is about aligning with other restaurant weeks to create a unified network on the East Coast. Ultimately, raising awareness and activating more restaurants engages more guests to try new plant-based options.