Many professionals in the hospitality industry consider that developing a plant-based offering is primarily about learning new culinary techniques and creating recipes.
Training in plant-based cuisine is naturally a fundamental pillar in developing a consistent and sustainable plant-based offering. However, on its own, it is not enough to guarantee its success.
Many establishments now include a few plant-based options on their menu without having undertaken a broader reflection on this offering.
Yet, meeting consumers’ expectations means integrating a plant-based offering into a strategic approach that encompasses the entire guest experience and requires in-depth collaboration across teams.
Developing a plant-based offering is therefore a genuine transformation project that needs to be approached in a gradual and structured way.
Understanding the challenges of plant-based gastronomy
Building a plant-based offering first requires a broad understanding of the challenges surrounding plant-based gastronomy and the changes it supports.
Beyond changing eating habits, a plant-based offering is part of a broader reflection on sustainability, evolving societal expectations and the diversification of customer profiles.
For some establishments, a plant-based offering also represents an opportunity to differentiate themselves in an increasingly competitive market. It can help strengthen their brand image, enhance an existing sustainable development approach and meet the expectations of an international clientele that is increasingly aware of food-related issues.
Understanding what plant-based gastronomy really encompasses makes it possible to move beyond a purely culinary approach and integrate it into a more strategic vision of the business.
Knowing customers’ expectations
A plant-based offering is intended for a wide range of customers whose expectations, consumption habits and motivations can vary considerably.
It is therefore essential to identify the different customer profiles that are likely to be interested in such an offering, understand their consumption habits and recognise the factors that influence their food choices.
Hotels and traditional restaurants still often associate a plant-based offering exclusively with vegetarian and vegan customers. Yet, flexitarians now represent a significant proportion of customers who may be interested in a plant-based offering. This also includes people with food allergies or intolerances, as well as travellers looking for greater variety in their food choices.
Understanding the motivations of these different customer groups and the lifestyles associated with their eating habits makes it possible to design an offering that is better suited to their expectations.
Designing the plant-based offering in the kitchen
Designing a plant-based offering is an essential step in translating the strategic directions defined upstream into culinary creations, and Chefs play a decisive role in this phase of development.
This work involves defining the scope of the offering, the different food service operations concerned, the level of ambition of the culinary project and the place of plant-based dishes within the existing offering, while taking the establishment’s operational constraints into account.
This stage also involves ensuring that the offering remains well balanced, particularly in terms of ingredient selection, seasonality, recipe diversity, as well as the exploration of new textures and flavours and the nutritional quality of the dishes.
During this design phase, learning new culinary techniques is often necessary for Chefs who wish to master plant-based cuisine. Training is a key challenge for establishments seeking to develop their plant-based offering, and many solutions are available to support culinary teams in developing these new skills.
The knowledge acquired by culinary teams enables them to develop an attractive and distinctive plant-based offering that is fully aligned with the establishment’s positioning and its customers’ expectations.
For a plant-based offering to truly become part of an establishment, it must be embraced by all the teams involved in its development and promotion.
- Management teams need to be convinced of its value and view it as a strategic lever that can contribute to the establishment’s environmental, economic and social objectives.
- Food & Beverage teams play a central role in designing the offering, integrating it into menus, ensuring its operational consistency and supporting its profitability.
- Procurement teams must ensure product availability and identify suitable product references that meet the needs of kitchen operations. This remains a challenging task, as supply platforms do not always make it easy to identify products specifically suited to a plant-based offering.
- Sales teams must be able to present and promote this offering across their different markets, whether in restaurants, group business or the MICE segment.
- Communication teams are responsible for making the offering visible, easy to understand and attractive. Many establishments already have communication tools that can showcase their approach, yet these are often underused when it comes to promoting their plant-based offering.
- Front-of-house teams must be able to present the offering confidently, answer guests’ questions and communicate in a way that is inclusive, reassuring and adapted to different customer profiles. A poor understanding of the plant-based offering can quickly lead to misunderstandings or awkward situations that negatively affect the guest experience.
Each department brings together specific skills that contribute, in its own way, to the development and promotion of the plant-based offering.
Team engagement also encourages the development of a shared culture around the plant-based offering and facilitates its long-term integration into the establishment’s day-to-day operations.
The successful development of a plant-based offering therefore requires a strategic approach carried out collectively by all stakeholders.
A plant-based offering is built progressively through these four stages. When approached from a cross-functional perspective, it becomes a genuine lever for differentiation, strengthening the guest experience, supporting the establishment’s commitments and creating new opportunities for development.
