Is SF Restaurant Week Becoming More Flexitarian?
We think so!
“Flexitarianism,” or flexible vegetarianism, centers around creating conscious dining decisions to incorporate more vegan/vegetarian food into one’s diet, without following a rigid set of rules. It’s rise in popularity in recent years has been due in part to growing consumer awareness around the health, environmental, and animal welfare concerns that many have regarding consuming animal products.
This change in consumer interest and diets has made its way onto menus, where now restaurants are adding “plant-forward” items , so that people can reduce their animal product intake, without having to forfeit certain components they sometimes still expect in their meals.
This spring, we’re seeing a significant rise in flexitarian menus at restaurants participating in San Francisco Restaurant week.
For example, Alora, a mediterranean restaurant along SF’s waterfront, offers on their Restaurant Week pre-fixe menu various shared vegan appetizers, including Hummus Tahini, Market Vegetables, and Carrot Fattoush, in addition to the second course in which individuals can choose between vegetarian and meat dishes.
Alora, various dishes, (Eater SF)
Horsefeather, a New American style restaurant that has been established as a favorite in the Lower Haight neighborhood, encourages meat eaters to give plant-based a chance, with the option to choose between a Double Cheeseburger, or a Mango Lime Ceviche, made with Impact Food plant-based Tuna.
Kitava, which cites “Veggie Forward” in their food philosophy, incentivizes meat reduction on their Restaurant Week menu. They offer customers to choose between a Plant Protein Salad which comes with a Mango Chia Pudding, or at the same price they can opt for Fish and Chips, although the pudding is exempt.
Kitava, Power Bowl, (Yelp)
Plant-forward flexitarian diets are making strides towards achieving a substantial environmental impact comparable to that of vegetarian and vegan diets, and their accessibility and ease of adoption position them as a promising avenue for driving widespread change. We see the rise in flexitarian options on the menu for San Francisco’s Spring Restaurant Week as a beacon for what is to come in the evolving food landscape. As more communities accustomed to animal-centric gastronomy embrace flexitarianism, there is a significant opportunity for large-scale shifts towards more sustainable eating habits.
Beyond SF Restaurant Week, the flexitarian trend is becoming a permanent fixture across many menus in the United States. The large poke restaurant chain, Pokeworks, has been making significant strides to accommodate changing diets, by adding Impact Food Tuna to their menu. These changes are proving that its now becoming easier than ever to center meals around plants, without sacrificing mealtime traditions.
