66 percent said they’ll bring friends
Meatless Monday, a nonprofit public health initiative, is announcing the results of an online survey conducted this July and promoted via social media and email. Respondents answered questions about Meatless Monday in restaurants and shed light on the types of promotions and menu offerings that would spell success for the participating restaurants.
The Meatless Monday movement, founded by Monday Campaigns’ Chairman Sid Lerner with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2003, encourages people to cut back on meat consumption one day a week for their health and the health of our planet. Restaurants do not need to take meat off their menus; they simply promote their plant-based dishes on the first day of the week.
The survey showed that 66 percent of respondents would absolutely eat at a local restaurant that promoted Meatless Monday and also bring their friends.
Respondents also weighed in on the types of promotions that would attract them to dine at a restaurant offering Meatless Monday. Top drawers are:
- Meatless Monday seasonal specials – 56 percent
- Discounts on Meatless Monday featured items – 53 percent
- Chef tasting menus – 40 percent
What about menu offerings?
Seasonality again came to the forefront with 59 percent responding that they would like to see “anything in season” on a restaurant menu.
Veggie burgers followed with 39 percent, grilled veggies at 37 percent, and veggie soup at 29 percent.
Respondents selected the black bean burger (27 percent) and the mushroom burger (25 percent) as the top two preferred veggie burgers over lentil, tempeh and walnut burgers.
In describing his success with Meatless Monday, Executive Chef Jason Weiner said, “Meatless Monday is expanding our clientele, challenging our cooks, and supporting our local growers. Put simply – Meatless Mondays is win, win, win.” Weiner features prix fixe Meatless Monday menus each week at Almond NYC and Almond Bridgehampton. He is launching Meatless Monday in his new Almond Tribeca restaurant on August 10.
To secure survey participants, the online survey was promoted on the Meatless Monday Facebook page as well as in the weekly Meatless Monday Eater’s Digest newsletter. The survey was conducted within a four-week period with 206 respondents.
Meatless Monday is a nonprofit public health initiative of The Monday Campaigns. Sid Lerner, the organization’s chairman, founded the Meatless Monday movement in 2003, with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The campaign seeks to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer and conserve valuable environmental resources by encouraging the public to cut back on meat consumption one day a week. The campaign is founded on research that demonstrates that Monday is the day we are most primed to start and sustain a healthy new behavior. Since its launch 12 years ago, Meatless Monday has become an international movement with support from schools, celebrities, restaurants, and organizations around the world.
For a brief video of top chefs, Bill Telepan, Telepan; Ivy Stark, Dos Caminos; Matteo Bergamini, SD26, and Bryce Shuman, Betony and Jonathan Waxman, Barbuto talking about the benefits of Meatless Monday and plant-based menus, go to https://vimeo.com/132954684.
For free creative resources including toolkits, promotional ideas, graphics and posters, visit www.meatlessmonday.com.
