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7 easy-to-digest bites of plant-based menu change

Customers are thinking of their health and the planet’s health when they dine. Foodservice pros can play a huge role in making it delicious. Here are some easily digestible plant-based idea starters.

Tara Fitzpatrick, Senior Editor

July 5, 2022

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We’re in the middle of a plant-based revolution. Or perhaps it’s more like an evolution, changing as mealtimes tick by. Customers know more than ever about how their choices can affect everything from climate change to animal welfare to their own health.

No matter the motivation, it’s hard to deny that plant-based eating is shaping up to be more than the latest diet craze or fad. Having lived through tons of fads and food trends, many chefs and foodservice operators are recognizing that there’s something different about the plant-based shift.

It’s more inclusive, for one—with people identifying more as “flexitarian” or “reducetarian” (eating less meat)—and more delicious, by far, especially compared to days of yore when a plant-forward option meant boring tofu or a plain salad. When chefs plan menus, they’re moving away from starting with an animal-based protein. And when guests choose a plant-based entrée it’s probably because it looks super appealing. Check out a sampler of plant-based ideas for your own inspiration.

About the Author

Tara Fitzpatrick

Senior Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group

Tara Fitzpatrick is Food Management’s senior editor and a contributor to Restaurant Hospitality and Nation’s Restaurant News, creating editorial content for digital, print and events. Tara holds a bachelor of science degree from the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Kent State University. Before joining Food Management in 2008, Tara was associate editor at National Association of College Stores in Oberlin, Ohio. Prior to that, Tara worked as a newspaper reporter in her hometown of Lorain, Ohio, where she lives now. Tara is a fan of food history, legends, lore, ghost stories, urban farming and old cookbooks. 

Tara Fitzpatrick’s areas of expertise include the onsite foodservice industry (K-12 schools, colleges and universities, healthcare and B&I), menu trends, sustainability in foodservice, senior dining, farm-to-table and innovation.

Tara Fitzpatrick is a frequent webinar and podcast host and has served on the board of directors for IFEC (International Food Editors Consortium).

Tara Fitzpatrick’s experience:

Senior Editor, Food Management (Feb 2008-present)

Associate Editor, National Association of College Stores (2005-2008)

Reporter, The Morning Journal (2002-2005)

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-fitzpatrick-4a08451/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tara_Fitzie

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/tarafitzie/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tara.y.fitzpatrick

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