Is Veganism Over – or Just Getting Smarter?
Eleven Madison Park, once the poster child of fine-dining veganism, announced that meat would be making a return to their menu. Cue the headlines: “Veganism is over.” “The rebellion is dead.” “Pass the steak tartare.”
Depending on which corner of the internet you occupy, the announcement was either a relief or a betrayal. But for those of us in hospitality, it signalled something else entirely: a shift. A cultural and nutritional correction that has been building for years.
But for those of us in hospitality, it signalled something else entirely: a shift. A cultural and nutritional correction that has been building for years.
Because veganism as a label might be losing momentum, but plant-centric eating is evolving, maturing and quietly becoming the norm.
Look beyond the menu. The real story? Information, not ideology.
The Rise of the Educated Eater
In the past five years, a wave of public education around nutrition has changed the way people eat. Scientists like Tim Spector have brought the microbiome into everyday conversation. Podcasts such as Feel Better, Live More or Huberman Lab have made fibre, protein and blood-sugar regulation dinner-party topics.
For the first time, the average diner does not just know that vegetables are “good for you” – they understand why. They track macros, count fibre and think about diversity of plants per week. They know that thirty a week is not a TikTok challenge; it is a measure of gut health.
So when we talk about veganism declining, identity politics are what is really fading. The moral purity, the activism, the “us vs them” energy – all receding. Rising in their place: informed, intentional and sustainable food choices.
The New Luxury: Transparency and Balance
Restaurants are starting to catch up. In London, menus once prized mystery. You would read the menu line of five ingredients and have no idea whether you would be served a cold salad or a croquette.
That ambiguity does not play so well anymore. Today’s diners want clarity: not just what is on the plate, but what is in it.
At Pure, a London salad-bar chain, nutritional information sits proudly alongside ingredient lists: calories, protein, fibre and more. This shift aligns with UK legislation introduced in 2022 requiring calorie information in large food businesses, but it also reflects cultural momentum. Clarity has become the new luxury.
Across the industry, we are seeing a move from hedonistic indulgence to intelligent pleasure. Menus that satisfy appetite and intellect. Guests do not want to be preached to; they want to be informed and inspired.
Restaurants Leading the Way
In London, you can see this shift in action.
At Tendril, Rishim Sachdeva’s mostly-vegan kitchen and bar, vegetables take the spotlight, cooked with flair, technique and a sense of joy rather than ideology. At Café Petiole, that same team serves bright, plant-first lunches that are both nourishing and modern. Holy Carrot explores the world of ferments and fire, redefining what “healthy” looks like on a plate.
These are restaurants that do not label you, they feed you. They are creating a new era of plant-based dining where flavour leads, not doctrine.
So, Is Veganism Over?
If we mean the movement, probably yes. If we mean the mindset, not even close.
The vegan wave was never just about eliminating animal products. It cracked open a global conversation about sustainability, ethics and what it means to eat consciously. That conversation continues.
Hospitality’s next frontier lies in building bridges. n the restaurant and the microbiome.
The smartest brands and chefs are already there. They shape the future rather than chase the present.
And it looks a lot like vegetables.
2 Comments
-
-
Liz Newton
Nullam id dolor finibus, efficitur lorem ut, consequat nisl. Nunc sit amet mollis sem. Praesent accumsan laoreet massa a rhoncus.
-
Comments are closed.
James Gwin
Morbi porta velit at aliquam maximus. Nullam id dolor finibus, efficitur lorem ut, consequat nisl. Nunc sit amet mollis sem. Praesent accumsan laoreet massa a rhoncus.