Using Meatless Monday to Promote Plant-Based Menu Items Can Help Meet Customer Demand for Meat Alternatives
Meatless Monday is a popular, internationally recognized meat reduction campaign. Its simple premise — skip meat one day a week for your health and the health of the planet — is easy for customers to understand and appreciate. Meatless Monday doesn't mean you have to eliminate meat from the menu. Instead, offer and highlight plant-based and meat-free options.
Best Practices to Promote Meatless Monday and Increase Sales of Plant-Based Items
Menu Recommendations:
- Use enticing words that describe the texture, taste, or smell of menu items (see list of descriptors below).
- List plant-based options among other items on the menu, not in a separate vegan, vegetarian or meatless section.
- Do not label dishes as “vegan” or “vegetarian.” Instead use a small leaf, “v” or green heart icon to indicate when dishes are plant-based.
- Offer plant-based versions of familiar and traditional foods you serve. For example, if your best-selling items are cheeseburgers and lamb curry, offer a plant-based burger and vegetable or tofu curry.
- Increase the plant-based-to-meat ratio on your menu.
Food Display:
- Make meatless meals look visually appealing and familiar.
- Don’t create a separate Meatless Monday or “vegetarian” section or station. Integrate all plant-based items into the usual food displays, grab-and-go cases, and online menus.
- Provide nutritional information that promotes the benefits of plant-based foods and helps dispel misconceptions about meatless meals.
- Promote meat-free and plant-based options as “climate-friendly” or “sustainable.”
Best Practices for Plant-Based Menu Terminology
- Make food descriptions sound irresistible with enticing language and sensory words that describe the texture, taste, or smell of plant-based menu items, such as: juicy, crunchy, crispy, creamy, spicy, savory, and sticky.
- Incorporate traditional names that evoke comfort and familiarity, such as: grandma’s dumplings, mom’s meatballs, home-style chili, and holiday roast.
- Create a sense of place with geographic-themed names, such as: farm-to-fork, Cuban black beans, New York-style pizza, and Texas barbecue.
- Include provenance in the menu descriptions, such as: wild-foraged berries, local tomatoes, and upstate-grown apples.
- Highlight specific cuisines, such as: Tex-Mex, Thai, Mexican, Italian, Mediterranean, Indian and Southern.
- Ensure descriptions convey the fulfilling qualities of meatless items, such as: filling, satisfying, satiating and hearty.
Additional Research on Plant-Based Best Practices
- Greener by Default -- defaulting to plant-based meals
- Good Food Institute -- plant-based menu tips
- CoolFood -- promoting sustainable choices in food service
- Good Food Institute -- marketing and promoting plant-based proteins
- Meatless Monday in Food Service Best Practices Guide
