Opening a Vegetarian Restaurant

[Lady Star 10]

Blue moon was the cafe/resturant on Norfolk row, that sadly also closed down some time ago. Vegetarian/vegan restaurants are in concept a brilliant idea but I think it's a very selected Market and very few succeed. I think opening it on eccelsall road would be a brilliant idea as there's quite alot of passing trade.

 

Yes, but it did close to move to much bigger premises... Different to just shutting down altogether... Seems that if you want to sell veggie food, it has to be city centre for you to not only survive, but also expand...

 

The best veggie restaurant I have ever been to is el piano in York - It's so unique, I get a train to York just to eat there and I'm not even veggie!

[komal 11]

Ah. So you're not just thinking of a vegetarian restaurant, but also one that serves ethically-killed/grown meat?

 

There are two very different concepts there!

 

Fusion Organic Cafe on arundel gate does vegetarian food as well as organic home reared meat from their farm in Eyam.

[louislouis 10]

You take the model of zooby's in the winter gardens. They seem to do an amazing trade selling ethical vegetarian lunch time food.

[ClockEnder 10]

I am a vegetarian who loves good food. I would really like to see a vegetarian restaurant serving good quality and dare I say expensive high end menu. I find that a vegetarian restaurant can look like it has been thrown back from the 1970s flower power era, whilst that isn't offensive, I would love a modern, beautiful vegetarian restaurant ...QUOTE]

 

This.

 

I am also fed-up with having to choose the one "vegetarian option" on a menu, which 9 times out of 10 is risotto. Or going to a chinese/indian place.

 

Homemade in Nether Edge has Bistro Night every Friday and you have to book way in advance to get a table! They include a fish or chicken option on the menu, which means that omnivores and vegans can go out for a nice meal together, and my meat-eating friends often choose one of the veggie dishes.

 

As a vegan, the vegetarian items on most menus are not suitable for me. I know that my diet puts me in the minority but I would patronise any restaurant that gave me a choice - usually it takes about 20 seconds for me to scan a menu in order to find the one thing I can eat, while my friends pore over it for ages and make their choice.

 

If you can afford to open on Ecclesall Road, I think that there's enough passing trade, and the sort of folks that would go to a veggie restaurant if it was smart enough - if it were a cafe-type during the day (like Blue Moon) and a bit swankier in the evenings, I reckon it could work.

[Cynic 10]

Would a restaurant that focussed on different and interesting vegetarian meals but had a few meat options work better? Sort of like the reverse of a normal restaurant, rather than a few vegetarian options is has a few meat options and is mostly vegetarian.

[leelister6 10]

I've heard they're selling cucumbers and bean sprouts dirt cheap in Germany. You could stock up!

[Pure-Enough 10]

I know my business is slightly different but I have recently opened a natural skincare shop and all of the products are vegetarian most of them are vegan and I must say that I have hardly had anyone come in for that reason. I really thought that vegetarians would be my main customer base but consumers seem to be more concerned with chemicals and cheap ingredients being used. So maybe thats something to think about if you decide to do it and concentrate on fresh quality ingredients as well as the veggie angle. Just a thought