“Yes – But Is It Good For Vegans?” is something I end up saying a lot when places open in my home town.
And in the last 12 months, nearly every new opening would have scored 2/10 or less for its vegan options.
Which got me thinking.
Why are so many businesses still getting this wrong?
I’m Alex McCann, I run a social media community at Altrincham HQ of over 100,000 people and with our community engagement we reach over 1 million people every single month.
I’m also vegan.
That’s 1 million people who could be hearing about your business, talking about your business and spending with your business.
Why you can’t ignore the vegan pound?
“Only 2-6^% of the UK are vegan so why is this a major concern?”
I hear that argument a lot, but vegans don’t dine out alone.
So let’s just take my average
12 x 5 bookings with friends = 60 seats
4 x 5 bookings with family = 20 seats
1 x 20 bookings for a Christmas business do = 20 seats
If you don’t offer vegan options you’ve just lost up to 100 covers a year from one person who happens to be vegan.
Now imagine nearly every workplace, friend group or family knows at least one person who is vegan.
You’ve potentially lost a lot of bookings because you didn’t cater for vegans.
Now let’s look at what makes a good option for vegans
What Makes Somewhere Good For Vegans?
It’s not simply about having a vegan option on the menu.
For me, it’s about choice, quality, value and making vegans feel like actual customers rather than an inconvenience.
Here’s what I look for when I visit somewhere new.
The Number Of Options (in relation to your menu size)
Do the maths?
We’re not expecting every single option to be vegan as a lot of our friends aren’t.
But make it make sense
4-6 options on a small lunchtime café menu – at least make one options vegan
An extensive menu with 30-50 items on the menu – offer a number of vegan options for each course.
If you give people options, they are more likely to come back again to try different options each time they visit.
Clear and consistent menu labelling
In an ideal world there will be a specialist vegan menu to make it easy for us.
It’s easy for customers. It’s easier for waiters.
But it not, a clear VE next to each option that is vegan on the main menu.
Starters, mains, desserts and sides – make it consistent.
We don’t want to go out and have to ask the waiter to talk us through 20 dishes that very well could be vegan but aren’t labelled as such.
We know fries and the side of veg could easily be vegan – but why isn’t it labelled as such.
Good Vegan Food
If the food is exceptional we will be your biggest cheerleaders.
We’re so used to being treated like second class citizen,s that if an eatery blows us away we want the whole vegan community to know about it.
We will post about it on our personal socials, in vegan Facebook groups on happy cow and anywhere we can.
The 6-8 businesses that I regularly talk about in our hometown as being great for vegans are all established businesses of 5/10/20+ years.
They’re doing something right to be in business for so long.
Vegan Versions Of Popular Dishes
It might surprise you – we don’t want salad all the time.
If our friends are out having pizza or burgers or curry or a Sunday roast – we might just want the same as them, but vegan.
We don’t want to see our friends eating a plate piled high whilst we’re paying the same price for a salad we could have picked up for £1 at the supermarket.
It’s such an easy win just to ask the question – can we make a great vegan version of our existing menu.
Value for Money
We don’t expect vegan food to be cheaper.
But we do expect to get a proper meal for our money.
If my friends are paying £15 for a burger, chips and salad and I’m paying £17 for a smaller vegan burger and chips because there’s a £2 vegan surcharge, that’s going to leave a bad taste.
And yes, I appreciate businesses have different ingredient costs. But vegan shouldn’t automatically mean more expensive.
Staff Who Know The Menu
If I ask whether something is vegan, I don’t want someone disappearing into the kitchen for 10 minutes to find out.
And I definitely don’t want “I think it is”.
Your staff don’t need to be vegan. But they do need to know what’s on their menu.
It’s basic customer service.
What Makes Somewhere Bad For Vegans?
Read on to find out …
No Vegan Options
No options means we’re not going, our friends aren’t going, our family members aren’t going and our workplace isn’t going.
Simple as that.
100 covers a year just lost like that from one person.
It’s 2026 and I don’t think there’s any excuse for a restaurant to have absolutely nothing for vegans.
Wetherspoons offers a wide range of vegan options, Pizza Express does, Wagamamas does, and the supermarkets are full of vegan options.
We love to spend local with indies – but give us a reason.
Token Lazy Vegan Option
A token lazy option is nearly as bad as no option.
In 2026 dining out isn’t cheap and we want a meal out to be special.
We want good company, good conversation and good food.
We want to be walking out of the restaurant singing its praises.
That is never going to happen if the only option is a Spicy Bean Burger in a time machine from 1999 or a Falafel Wrap and chips.
Confusing Menu Labels for Vegan Options
“Is this vegan?”
“Can you make this vegan?”
“Does this contain butter?”
“Are the chips cooked separately?”
“What can I actually eat?”
If every vegan customer has to have a conversation with your waiter before they can order, you’ve made eating out harder than it needs to be.
Give us the information and let us order.
For most businesses your menu will be in place for life or updated once a year at most.
When planning your menu go through every section of the menu and if it’s vegan label it.
Some people order vegan for allergies and one mistake could trigger an allergic reaction.
Surcharges for Vegan Substitutes
£1.50 surcharge for vegan milk or vegan cheese
No thank you. It’s 2026.
We get that sometimes that the alternatives often will cost a little bit more and you’re running a business.
But make it make sense.
I’ve been in places where it would cost more for a basic vegan Margherita pizza than a full on meat feast pizza with 10 toppings because of the vegan surcharges.
“Vegan Options Available” – but nothing listed on the menu
Nothing says “this place is going to be terrible for vegans” quite like having no vegan options on the menu, followed by one line at the bottom saying:
“Vegan options available.”
What are they?
Nobody knows.
You know it’s terrible.
We know it’s terrible.
Nobody is happy.
Dropping Vegan Options On Special Menus (i.e Christmas / Valentines etc)
This is bizarre.
And it happens so often.
A restaurant that is otherwise good for vegans drops their Valentine’s and Christmas menu.
And doesn’t have a single option for vegans …. or has a vegan menu but no vegan starter / dessert on their three-course menu.
PSA: Vegans celebrate Christmas.
We also have partners.
We also go on dates.
We also have birthdays.
We also have work Christmas parties.
We’re not a seasonal customer.
Where is good for vegans in Altrincham?
So, where is actually good for vegans in Altrincham?
I’ve eaten at a lot of places in Altrincham over the years, and these are the places I consistently recommend to other vegans.
Asuke Sushi – A hidden gem near Broadheath with plenty of vegan choice.
Dadar – Indian dishes you won’t find anywhere else.
Essence – 20+ years in business and a specialist vegan section.
Gonbay – Exceptional Chinese food with mock duck, mock chicken and clearly labelled vegetable dishes.
Nahm Prik – Quality Thai food with a dedicated vegan menu.
Nell’s Pizza – Three vegan pizzas, and all three are brilliant.
Phat Chows – The VeganManFu is a must, with loads of other options too.
Two Brothers Café – My go-to café because they always have vegan cake.
Unagi – Pan-Asian food just around the corner from Altrincham Market.
Yara – Consistently good Lebanese food with plenty for vegans.
And if you don’t mind chains and want a quick and easy bite – Wetherspoons / Pizza Express / Café Nero offer a big range of vegan options.
REMEMBER: The vegan pound isn’t just spent by vegans.
It’s spent by groups of friends, families, couples and workplaces who want somewhere everyone can eat.
You don’t need to completely redesign your menu. You don’t need 20 vegan dishes.
But if you make it easy for us to eat well, we’ll come back.
And we’ll tell other people about you.
PS. If you’re opening soon in Altrincham or Manchester and aren’t sure if it’s good for vegans – i’m happy to consult on this alex@altrinchamhq.co.uk
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