Plant-Powered Profit Margins

There’s a common misconception that vegan food is more expensive, especially when people see vegan upcharges on menus. While there are reasons why those products carry a higher price (including scale and subsidies for animal agriculture), this paints an incomplete picture.

Actually, many plant-based foods — especially staples like black beans, chickpeas, tofu, tempeh, and seitan — are significantly cheaper than most animal proteins, particularly red meat. These ingredients are a huge opportunity for restaurants:

✅ Lower food costs
✅ Higher profit margins
✅ Greater shelf stability
✅ Lower risk of food waste

Even if a vegan dish isn’t a top seller, its low cost means it can still deliver strong margins, especially compared to high-cost meat dishes that require volume to justify their price.

Examples

1. The Boosted Burger

Take, for example, a burger. Using a house-made black bean patty or a thick slab of marinated tofu instead of a commercial plant-based patty drastically improves margins. It’s more creative, more exciting to guests, and it appeals to the same plant-curious eaters, with better economics.

2. Cashew Creamy

Now a pasta. Traditional Alfredo uses dairy cream, but a vegan version made with cashew cream offers comparable richness with added benefits. While cashews can cost more than cream per pound, they also:

Are shelf-stable and portionable
Add nutritional value (especially when combined with ingredients like nutritional yeast)
Can replace both the cream and added proteins like chicken, since they offer protein and fat in one

3. Chickpea Curry

Or take a chickpea curry: loaded with protein, fiber, and flavor — chickpeas are extremely affordable, shelf-stable, and lower-risk compared to chicken. The profit margin is higher, prep is simpler, and waste is minimal.

Takeaway

There are countless plant-based dishes in every cuisine that can help a restaurant boost profit margins while reducing food waste and risk. Even if these aren’t top sellers (yet), their ease of execution, cost-effectiveness, and flexibility make them a smart business move.

As vegan consultants — and vegan diners — we believe these dishes can become just as popular as their animal-based counterparts, especially when they’re developed thoughtfully and promoted enthusiastically.