[Closed] Vegan restaurant for long distance cyclists in the highlands.

No.

No

Couldn't care less.

No.

Sorry. 😀

Sensible answer: small customer base, cater for everyone.

It may be feasible in Shoreditch but in somewhere as sparsely populated as the Scottish Highlands by going vegan you've instantly alienated 90% of your customers.

It's ok thinking that omnivores can eat vegan food as well, and they can, but they prefer non-vegan food. Chefs love butter.

The vegan menus I've run in a busy city have been popular, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">alongside</span> non-vegan options.

Unfortunately non-vegan food does taste better.

Basically, don't decimate your customer base before you've even started. 🙂

1. No

2. I find it amusing

3. I doubt it

4. If I was hungry and there wasn't a regular restaurant nearby

<span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>alongside</span>

**** YOU FORUM. **** YOU AND YOUR MOTHER. **** EVERY SINGLE APOLOGIST.

AND **** YOU MARK, I'M GOING BACK TO PISTONHEADS WHERE I'M CONSIDERED SOME SORT OF COMMUNIST BECAUSE I REFUSE TO SWEAR ALLEGIANCE TO BORIS JOHNSON AND ACTUALLY VOTED TO REMAIN, SO I GUESS I'M A TRAITOR AS WELL.

I'LL TAKE THAT SHIT FOR THE WORKING ****ING QUOTE FUNCTION.

PS. THAT SITE IS A **** OF A LOT BUSIER AND HAS FAR FEWER ADS AND MAKES A LOT MORE ****ING MONEY.

HAVE A WORD WITH YOURSELF. I OFFERED YOU ALTERNATIVES TO YOUR PISS POOR BUSINESS MODEL AND YOU WEREN'T INTERESTED, SO GET TAE ****.

Night night.

xxx

sbob.

I should point out that in reality I'm quite calm and happy, but it is time for my sleeps. 🙂

No.

No.

No.

Yes.

Vegetarian for over 25 years and not in Scotland.

What bike do you ride?.

Hi thanks for your feedback.  I ride a long haul trucker.

1. Crikey.

2. Crikey!

3. Did I miss something?

4. Jings!

No

No

Dont really care

Only if there was nowhere else to get any food.

Note - I am a very keen meat eater but I don’t mind vegetarian dishes since a couple of veggie friends made food which I liked. However Vegan food generally has substitutes for dairy which I find revolting. The simplest example is a cup of tea which is vile with any of the milk substitutes.

1 - No

2 - Never really thought about it, although as soon as someone affixes the 'lifestyle ' tag to something it usually puts me off straight away (probably says more about me than them tho!)

3 - Well I've lived up here all my life and have done the route many times over the years and have not noticed any vegancentric cafes or similar, does not mean there aren't any though. This may,of course, be related to the first part of answer 2 above, which I suspect is probably 90% of the populations answer as well.

4 - As long as the food tastes good, I will eat most places,no particular opposition to eating vegan food.

As someone may have said already, don't alienate 90% or whatever of potential customers by providing only vegan foodstuffs, unless your lifestyle prohibits you from preparing non-vegan meals. If that is the case then I feel your business will be unsustainable if you even get it going.

The problem with the NC500 is that the the competition to provide services is fierce, and there are only a limited amount of locations available from where to provide them. Most of these businesses are well established already.

Sorry,sounds a bit negative, there may well be a market for what you wish to do, and if there is and you go for it I wish you all the best and hope you do well 🙂

1. Sort of. Prefer vegan food because I have never particularly liked meat, and less so after seeing the killing floor of an abattoir, but it's not an ideology with me, so I'll eat what is available otherwise.

2. I don't regard my food choices as a lifestyle.

3. It's getting better. My daughter is vegan, so investigates where vegan meals are available.

4. It would be a first choice.

I suggest you get in touch with the folk at Velocity bike cafe in Inverness. They provide vegan food, and also have a good knowledge of the NC500 route.  http://www.velocitylove.co.uk

No

No

is anyone adequately catered for out there?

No. Actually, possibly out of curiosity if it had good reviews and offered me something interesting

OP - do you live in the Highlands?

No
Not really, especially when you class it a lifestyle.
No-one has the choices they have in a big city up there.
Of course I would.

Having tried to get food up on the North Coast on a Sunday evening, I discovered you had three options: chippy, posher hotel, Indian. Always the Indian restaurant open, usually with just me in there....

Such a small and seasonal market, I'm not sure any restaurant or cafe that cuts off the significant proportion of the market would survive. That said, maybe you can make it work, and one of my favourite eating places is Blue Moon Cafe in Sheffield that is vegan/veggie.

Not vegan
"Vegan lifestyle" No
No idea
Maybe, I like trying different foods/styles of cooking. If it was too near somewhere that sold curry, pizza or pie it would stand a high chance of losing to them though if I had a serious munch on though.

It doesn't really cut anyone off though, does it? It's not like a meat eater *can't* eat in a vegan restaurant. It's only going become a less and less alien concept in the future. There was a stall selling only vegan food about 10 yr ago on the Camino de Santiago - I don't recall any meat eaters blustering past complaining about the lack of catering for their diet.

Businesses supporting vegan choices are doing well in all sorts of weird places. I've even found them in France 😉

For the record, yes, yes, probably not, yes but very unlikely to get up that far north (based in Basque Country)

I'd consider myself likely to do the NC500 at some point, but more likely in a car than on a bike. While it's talked about a lot, I'd suspect you'd only get 10-30 passing cyclists a day. You'll get more drivers, but the chances of a proper fuel guzzling petrolhead being vegan are pretty slim I'd have thought.

There are 29,000 people doing the NC500 a year. Let's be generous and assume 10% of them are on bikes. Based on 1.05% of people being vegan in 2015, that'd only be 29 vegans passing a year and 101 vegetarians who're also likely to be interested. The majority of other users are likely to go for an alternative if they can I'd suspect.

Anyway -

1- No

2- No

3- I don't think there are enough up there for food places to cater for profitably.

4- Only if everywhere else were shut/I was starving and the next food place was more than a few miles away.

How many vegan long distance cyclists are there? And what are the odds, on any given day, that they’ll be in the Highlands, passing through a particular spot?

1 No

2 I like carrots?

3 Yes, as much as they need to be.

4 yes, if they served something I wanted after a long day in the saddle. Which I strongly doubt.

by all means open a cafe, have vegan options so you don’t feel the wrath of vegan mafia, but don’t put off the vast majority of potential customers by only catering to one very small (if vocal) market.

I'm not a vegan and not a foodie. I've been to a few vegan restaurants with friends that are vegan and found very little that appealed to me.

Things like vegan burgers, pizza, chilli and similar. Pretty much vegan versions of pub/cafe classics and you'd be alright, but you are talking of sticking a specialist cafe in the middle of nowhere.

It all depends if you want to do it as a business or a lifestyle.

I used to live and work in Ambleside, Zeffirellis would be a business for you to look at. Vegetarian restaurant in the lakes. Doesn't ram vegan/vegi down your throat. but does plenty of options for all just without the meat and you wouldn't probably notice it until you have gone through the entire menu.

offering somewhere for people to camp/toilets/showers would also be a good addition to the business like Tan Hill Pub in Yorkshire. Certainly would help people aim to visit you.

This place near Fort William is a good example of vegan options in the Highlands.  http://www.glenfinnanhouse.com/restaurants/

Maybe start with a mix with a view to reducing the non vegan options as the reputation for serving good food no matter what the label is grows.

Vegetarian not vegan
Do not really want to be vegan
Any more vegan or vegetarian food would be a real bonus in Scotland as there is little choice at the moment.
If the food was nice I would make a point of eating in a vegan food establishment.
Good luck if you decide to do it.

1 – No
2 – No
3 – Don't care
4 – Only if you do non-vegan options

1 – Are you a vegan? Yes
2 – Are you interested in vegan food/lifestyle? Yes
3 – Do you feel vegans are adequately provided for in the highlands? It's getting better
4 – Would you entertain eating in a vegan restaurant or cafe based in one of the popular highland destinations Yes if I was there. Always make a point of looking up vegan eateries, but I'm often with a group of veggie/meat, so would depend. If with family, then definitely. Only visit once every 2 years though so it's not much business!

No

No

No idea

Only if I had to through lack of choice

1 – Yes
2 – Yes
3 – No - it can be very difficult, even in some of the larger settlements.
4 – Not only would I entertain it but I would actively seek it out and may base my route around travelling there.

1. No

2. Between vaguely to no.

3. I would guess so.

4. Yes, if there is good scran.

1 – Are you a vegan?
2 – Are you interested in vegan food/lifestyle?
3 – Do you feel vegans are adequately provided for in the highlands?
4 – Would you entertain eating in a vegan restaurant or cafe based in one of the popular highland destinations

N (eat some fish and local free range eggs but no dairy or farmed meat)

Y (well, healthy, ethical and sustainable food choices, but 'lifestyle?' I've no idea unless you kean the same thing.

N

Y (would look for it if served good food, ie if on holiday passing through etc I always seek out wholefood cafes,  ie The Quarry Café in Mach' - if I'm in mid wales I will normally make a diversion to eat there.

Vegan food generally has substitutes for dairy which I find revolting.

Oh and
YEs
Not really it no more defines me than eating meat defines other people
We are not adequately catered for anywhere but vegan places - but as others note the best option is vegan friendly a there are not enough of us to sustain your business
OF course I would

Not vegan

Interested in vegan food? No more or less than any other food.

Interests in a lifestyle? No not ever, unless "do the things i like assuming it's not specifically bad for someone else", is a lifestyle.

Is anyone adequately provided for? I'd guess ratio of menu options vs ratio of vegans/non vegans is probably representative, in practice that probably means a salad in one of 5 cafes. I assume you mean are they given significant choice which is far from the same, and i highly doubt they are but that's more to do with demand than any sort of anti vegan aggenda.

Would i eat in a vegan establishment? Maybe, but in likelihood, if I'd been riding all day, probably not. Given a choice between a vegan only eatery a veggie one and a general one all of similar quality, I'd eat in the general one, then the veggie and the vegan as last option. Once inside I might order vegan (i cook vegan a few times a week and don't dislike the idea) or veggie, but equally i might really want a steak. [Edit] and given It's the highlands it'll be cold,wet and windy so I'm not going to stand around outside deciding, I'll be inside with a coffee or beer looking at a menu[/edit] It's about choice and that people would rather have it than not (which is why you're thinking about this i assume since beans on toast everywhere is representative), and for most people vegan chilli or pork sausage is a choice they'd like even if no-one orders sausage. Between a group certainly the chances no one wants eggs or burgers after a days riding is fairly much nil so chances a group of us would choose a vegan only place over anything else are much the same.

As above it comes down to numbers, in the highlands you've a tiny market a fair amount of competition and by only doing vegan you're alienating 85%+ of that market.

1 No
2 No, in fact I tend to find people who want to discuss a 'lifestyle' or love of coffee, ****s.
3 Don't care
4 Yes, if it had something to offer above the competition. As an example, I occasionally eat in a vegan burger/ hotdog place near me, as I like the hotdogs. I wouldn't touch their burger's or desserts, as better are available within 20 yard's of the place. Unfortunately, my custom won't keep them going. I mean fake cheese, wtf, just eat ****ing cheese.

 Zeffirellis would be a business for you to look at. Vegetarian restaurant in the lakes. Doesn’t ram vegan/vegi down your throat.

They let you hold and use your own fork? 😃

No, in fact I tend to find people who want to discuss a ‘lifestyle’ or love of coffee, ****.

What if they really like cars, bacon, sausage rolls, gravy, expensive bikes and want to discuss/share it?

This sounds like a perfect Dragon's Den pitch - they'd be all over this.

the-muffin-man - Subscriber
This sounds like a perfect Dragon’s Den pitch – they’d be all over this.

I'm fairly sure dragons are obligatory carnivores

No

No

In my experience not even bread eaters are well catered for in the Highlands.

Yes I would if it was good food. I'm a confirmed carnivore but I eat veg only meals quite regularly too.

Is the OP to return to their one and only thread on STW?

OP - are you familiar with Venn diagrams?

Start as large as you like, total population of the UK if you want. Then draw the subsets of people who are likely to pass this café on a bike, then the subset of these that are going to be vegan. Tip - don't draw this to scale.

Look on the bright side, though, if you get your targeted marketing right, this shouldn't cost you too much either.......

No

No

Don't know

Yes Cake vegan chocolate cake hmmmmm. As long as it does not go against Bimble calorie rules.

The new vegan cafe in Fort William has been very popular.

No

lifestyle no, although I do find it interesting to see how meal choices are built without dairy/eggs etc

given the small numbers of vegans and small numbers of people in the highlands it's a moot point (I was going to mention venn diagrams too!)

Yes I would: however It would have to be a really good menu and even then you would really struggle to find something to appeal to everyone who passes (because that's your challenge), the bike thing isn't an issue, just make sure there's somewhere to store a bike and make it feel like you can come in whatever you are wearing

are you prepared to stretch to veggie? because that will give you more options for those who simply won't do pure vegan menu choices

1 – Are you a vegan?
2 – Are you interested in vegan food/lifestyle?
3 – Do you feel vegans are adequately provided for in the highlands?
4 – Would you entertain eating in a vegan restaurant or cafe based in one of the popular highland destinations

1. No

2. No

3. Don't know

4. No, gluten free is restriction enough without restricting further

64million dollar question is location of this café - on the NC500 the towns and villages are small, you have JoG, Thurso (which isn't exactly a tourist destination) and Inverness, everything after that is pretty small

No

No

Don't care

Depends on the type of owner and clientele

Sensible answer: small customer base, cater for everyone.

Is the OP to return to their one and only thread on STW?

OP has other fish to fry (as it were) - he/she has been purveying her wares over at UKC (and no doubt every other relevant forum). I'm sorry if you don't feel special any more.

no

no

no idea

If I were cycling I'd be after anything first, veggie second, ethical third. Vegan last.

1. No and never will be.
2. Not one iota.
3. I have a niggling feeling probably not, if any of them ever go further north than Watford that is.
4. Depends on the menu/staff/place. If it was right next to a pub knocking out pub grub or a chip shop then no chance. But if it looked inviting and their response to me asking 'do you do bacon sandwiches' wasn't as mental as the last vegan place I tried to eat in (vegan cafe morning after night out with epic hangover - didn't know it was vegan) then maybe. As long as there's free Wifi and decent flapjack.

decent flapjack

No butter I'm afraid.

bigyinn, I get yr drift.  Same goes for bike shops these days.

I'd say the same to anyone opening a bicycle shop for cyclists.  If you just market bicycles then you're missing out on all of the non-niche vehicle owners.   This is why Halfords do cars and bikes, notwithstanding the majority of cyclists who are these post-Wiggins pro-Bojo fake-cyclists.  I don't have a problem with cyclists as long as they don't try and force me to get out of my car, wear lycra and embarass myself.  Sad really.  Most of these cyclists choose not to drive simply to jump on the latest fad.  Halfords aren't going to drop their car-driving customers  anytime soon, and they will continue to take the biggest share of the so-called cyclist market, (which will always be niche)

This latest cycling fad will soon pass, especially when climate change is shown to be nonsense, and that driving a car is safer and cleaner than riding an over-priced bandwagon.  I mean bike.  Real cyclists know why they cycle, like real vegans know why they choose not to eat burgers  ie it's not to show off to their mamil-mates with their gravel bikes, or to their fake-meat friends with their tofu T shirts.  Respectively.

1 – Are you a vegan?
2 – Are you interested in vegan food/lifestyle?
3 – Do you feel vegans are adequately provided for in the highlands?
4 – Would you entertain eating in a vegan restaurant or cafe based in one of the popular highland destinations

No
Not remotely (albeit I cook and eat vegan and veggie food at various times)
Don't care
Yes if it was an option at that particular time but I doubt I'd base a trip round it or use it as a calculated stop off point.

Is the OP to return to their one and only thread on STW?

OP has other fish to fry (as it were) – he/she has been purveying her wares over at UKC (and no doubt every other relevant forum). I’m sorry if you don’t feel special any more

Watch this space for an announcement for the Northenmost Vegan Lifestyle Cafe in the uk, probably.

1 – Are you a vegan?
2 – Are you interested in vegan food/lifestyle?
3 – Do you feel vegans are adequately provided for in the highlands?
4 – Would you entertain eating in a vegan restaurant or cafe based in one of the popular highland destinations

1 - No

2 - No

3 - Don't care

4 - If the food was good enough, yeah, why not? Of course, if there was a place across the road doing big bowls of stew, or a plate of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, or an egg and pig bun for brekker, you'd have one hell of a fight on your hands.

In short, a nice idea, and I wish you well if you do it, but you risk alienating a lot of potentially customers in a place with a limited pool of them. It's not like having a good vegan place in a tourist location like Oxford, Bath or even Salisbury, is it?

no

no

dunno

wouldn't choose one, but i wouldn't avoid it either.

Vegan cafe opened in Fort William last month.

1 : no but bean* vegetarian since 16 so 29yrs veggie

2 : lifestyle means nothing to me, but healthy, nutritious and delicious food that i'm willing to pay for is few and far between in rural scotland so you'd have to make it better than i can prepare at home

3 : never mind vegans, options for vegetarians are woefully catered for in rural scotland

4 : yes, and i'd go out of my way to eat at somewhere that provided more than macaroni cheese/ risotto/veg curry and the usual pasta dish (prefer not to eat pasta/excess carbs)

Old bridge inn and mountain cafe in aviemore are two places i frequent and happily pay for their produce when i'm up that way for 2 weeks every year

And as others have mentioned, you should also include at least a few select meat and fish based dishes that are equally well prepared with locally/traceable sourced produce as a selling point

And no huge 6 page faux leather menus either, if the entire menu cannot be shown on one page of A4 (with a changing specials board) then my "crap food alert" spider sense will start to tingle, yeah?....i'm a food snob..... get over it.

* pun intended...ta boom tish

No.
No.
No.
Only if the alternative was to eat my own earwax.

"Vegan cafe opened in Fort William last month." Thanks for the warning to avoid.
Still, it must be better than the Subway that closed down a while ago.

*Sorry, can't even put a 'winky face' on cos the site is currently shit*

No

More puzzled than interested

No idea.

I wouldn’t rule it out, but unless it had a great reputation or was the only place in town it wouldn’t be high up my priorities to explore.  The one thing that might suck me in, is MrsP is coeliac so good gluten free is a magnet.  Vegan can sometimes mean more attuned to GF requirements (but it can also backfire and mean they have offerings but for a fad clientelle but not the discipline about separation and not mixing utensils etc to prevent cross contamination).

Any cafe relying on NC500 traffic will be highly seasonal. I’d be very surprised if there is enough local business to keep any niche hospitality offering open in November.

Id question why make it hard for yourself by only selling vegan stuff even if your USP is that you’ll have good vegan options.

Bear in mind that getting more obscure ingredients to anywhere on the NC500 is likely to be slower and more expensive than in a major city.

Finally, consider payment.  With fewer and fewer banks around, the NC500 puts pressure on cash machines in rural areas. That affects locals and your potential customers.  Consider also that getting change and paying cash in is becoming a PITA, so IMHO card capability is essential (and offering cash back could be a good hook to get people in)

We would like to thank all that have contributed to this discussion so far, the answers have certainly provided food for thought.  People have provided us with some great ideas and thoughts that are hard to devise alone somtimes, so thank you all.  Please continue to comment, give opinions and answer the questions offered.   The use of the word 'lifestyle was for the want of a better word to gain an idea of people interested in veganism which spreads throughout life if so desired.  Some people are just interested in eating vegan food others take that philosphy through their entire lifes, so apologies if people felt pigeonholed.  Thanks again to all that have answered.

1 No
2 – No
Happy to eat veggie though

3 – Do you feel vegans are adequately provided for in the highlands?
Probably not

4 – Would you entertain eating in a vegan restaurant or cafe based in one of the popular highland destinations
No - but would consider vegeterian-friendly

I have run cycle tours in that area. Finding food stops is a real problem. Most of the groups are easy going and would be happy to accept anything you put in front of them - as long as it's to a decent standard (not insta- and it comes with a smile. We've had owners ranting at us because we've eaten all the cakes FFS).
Vegan would be pushing it too far though.

No, am veggie though

No, I like eggs and butter and milk and cream

I would be willing to bet they're not

Yes, as long as the menu looked appealing I'd try it.

1. No

2. Yes, but not because it's vegan, I also like food that's not animal based/no, actively disinterested after living next door to a militant vegan hell bound to explain at all times why I'm a terrible human being.

3. Don't know

4. If it were there and there wasn't another choice then fine, but I'd actively seek out somewhere else as meat and diary are an important part of my personal diet.

Still, it must be better than the Subway that closed down a while ago.

Well on that we are agreed

Having the vast experience of one week's holiday up there I have the following observations

You need to have a reason for people to come, ideally a rainy day activity or tour

You need to be able to sell stuff to take away (the present/souvenir)

You need to cater for tourists in hire cars

You need to plan for the dark months

I'd go with the above advice, don't market as vegan, they will find out anyway, just do good food that "happens" to be vegan

^ Stealth vegan café?   Dunno.  I'd hate to witness the daily walkouts when meat-lovers have parked their cars/locked their bikes, hung up their wet clothes etc.  Looking fwd to a greasy fry up.  Read menu.  Boom.  Long faces.  Walkout.  This is the land of cow milk. We drink it in tea like it's milk from our own mothers.  Soy milk in tea?  Run for the hills!!!   Double egg and bacon sarnie?  No?  Call it Longface Eatery.

I can't honestly see how a stealth vegan café would be playing to OP's strengths (assuming is amazing chef or else employs one)

You could OTOH go big and surf on the arriving wave of new plant-based protein alternatives such as Beyond Burger, Impossible Burger etc?  And I'd love a meat-free sausage that tastes as greasy and addictively bad-good as a pork sausage.  They can't be far behind?

What about a meat-free whole-food café specialising in cakes with locally sourced dairy options for milk in tea?  Or maybe local (properly) free-range eggs as well? As you know, food doesn't require advertising as 'vegan' so cakes are just cakes.  I like a cake-stop on a ride, and know that vegan cakes can be awesome.  Often find they are more creative and delicious than the bog standard stuff.  Have no problem with stealth vegan cake.  But a stealth vegan café?  Fine for me as dont eat farmed meat, enjoy trying new stuff, and dont have a hissy with non-dairy products, but probably not fine at all for 99.9% of everyone who will be disappointed to discover at the point of ordering that there is no meat. No matter how good your food is, that right there is a massive disappointment.  I'd be similarly disappointed if I arrived at an assumedly vegan restaurant to find the only options are meat and dairy.

I have to admit I forgot about milk

As you know, food doesn’t require advertising as ‘vegan’ so cakes are just cakes

Don't do this! As "one of those people" the tendency to use banana in vegan cakes puts them all off limits for me, (usually there's enough alternative to just make it not worth the effort), you certainly wouldn't want me in your eatery when i find* some in my food and I'd be very upset with the after effects if they hit me a few miles down the road on a bike ride. By all means have vegan cakes but don't not mention it. Even if all your cakes/foods are vegan, mention it, for folks who struggle (as opposed to full blown anaphylaxis, who i imagine are justifiably anal about checking) with some of the common substitutes (soya for instance) it at least rings enough bells that you double check.

^ ??? Surely by law you have to list common allergens no matter what kind of food and drink you are selling?  Not sure because something is 'vegan' that makes it more or less likely to contain allergens that are not normally listed (ie nuts, soy).  Although, banana allergy is something I'm now aware of but previously wasn't.  The only vegan cakes I've had with banana in (to my knowledge and including those I've baked) have been a banana bread and a banana muffin.

I think the normal thing to do with any foodstuff for sale is to list common allergens at POS (it maybe a legal requirement), and also have available a quick-check ingredients list (of all foodstuffs sold) kept behind the counter available for any customer who asks?  Labelling something simply as 'vegan' essentially says nothing useful except that it contains no meat or dairy.   I'm skeptical  that labelling it 'carrot cake' (for instance) and not 'vegan carrot cake) is actually a stealth banana issue!

its a minefield out there...

*edit.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/vegan-cake

Googled vegan cake recipes.  First result ^ .  Of 10 recipes/ingredients I looked at only one recipe has banana and is called 'cup cakes with banana and peanut butter'.  Cmon now!  Still not convinced that vegan cakes are stealth banana carriers.  Especially not to the point where being labelled 'vegan' is the most effective dog-whistle for banana-phobes, as opposed to instead clearly labelling any cake (dairy or non)  with banana in it as 'Not suitable for those with banana intolerance'

Most common allergens are labeled on packaged stuff but i can't think of the last time i went into a cafe and the home made cake was labeled "contains milk" etc etc.

Completely agree vegan tells me only doesn't contain x y z rather than does contain a b c, but lack of x y z does indicate it'll have something else instead, same as "diet" tells me no sugar but it'll have aspartame or something instead. In my (limited) experience banana is often used in place of butter, eggs etc. Given its very unusual in non vegan cakes unless they're obviously banana cakes i just steer clear of the vegan one as it's less hassle. (I don't order fresh fruit anything etc for the sane reason). I'm not full blown allergic though, it just has sudden onset D&V effects about an hour after i eat it (taste is enough for me to gag and retch back up, not nice if I'm in a cafe etc but from a personal point of view much better as it's 2-3min of nasty vs several hours)

[Edit] 10% hit rate, i mean come on, that's enough to be special advisor to the PotUS.

Specifics aside my point is don't conceal what stuff is, just be honest and let people make up their own mind.

[2nd edit] maybe my vegan friends just put the stuff in there so i can't eat their cakes m

Seeing as Glasgow is apparently the Vegan capital of the UK it might not be such a bad thing.
https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/places-for-vegetarians-and-vegans-12826322

Edit] 10% hit rate, i mean come on, that’s enough to be special advisor to the PotUS.

😂 Well I put more effort in than you, it has to be said.  You can be my Press Spokesperson.  Also married to a vegan and am the only baker in the house, so  have some prior experience in addition to googling recipes today.

Specifics aside my point is don’t conceal what stuff is, just be honest and let people make up their own mind.

Well, that's exactly my point.  Specifics are more important.  So list any common allergens.  Unless you are actually right on both counts ie most vegan cakes have hidden banana souls and somehow this would be a deal-breaker/health-hazard to most cake-lovers.  I stand skeptical.  I see no problem with labelling 'vegan' but it may put some non-vegan customers off if they mistakenly believe the vegan cakes are more likely to be full off hidden allergens over and above any cake with dairy/eggs.

2nd edit] maybe my vegan friends just put the stuff in there so i can’t eat their cakes

🎂 😜

Another way of looking at it, to get a bigger picture - Discounting your (possibly psychotic) friend's cakes, how many vegan cakes have you eaten that have caused you no problems/had no bananas?  Counting only the ones that weren't labelled 'vegan'?

*edit - I see now that some vegan cake recipes recommend banana as egg replacement.  But I can't see why you'd prefer to just avoid all vegan cakes rather than ask 'does it have banana in it'?  Even if labeled 'vegan', the likelihood will often be a good chance of being banana-free, so you would miss out unnecessarily.  There may be a giant banoffee pie on the counter.  Next to a (labelled vegan) double-chocolate sponge with coconut frosting.  You'd be a silly billy saying no to both because I asked the waitress and she said 'no banana in that chocolate one'. Om nom.  And I'll have some of that banoffee too.  Only joking, banoffee makes my teeth hurt thinking of it.

I fear we digress but:

Real* cake nil out of lots
Vegan cake 2 out of a small sample of about 5.

Also of the remaining 3 one was a vegan beetroot sugar free brownie, which, had i realised before hand I'd have nuked from orbit. Sugar free cake WTAF? It caused many issues, most have left mental scarring, none directly related to what was actually [i]in[/i] the thing. I think I managed half of it whilst maintaining my "mmmmm yes it's lovely" smile, the other half was eaten like a starving person might eat surstroming or skata complete with staccato arm motion, self loathing and immense effort to convince my self it wouldn't kill me and it was worth the effort. The young lady who made it turned out to be very much not my type shortly there after (tee total, vegan, who is always busy on a Sunday morning really should have been warning signs, long before the offending cake)

*obviously barring those I've made personally is quite possible a significant proportion of said cakes were not "real".

I am still intrigued by the OP, whether they are planning on opening such an establishment in the teeming metropolis that is Borgie....

[img] [/img]

1 – Are you a vegan?
2 – Are you interested in vegan food/lifestyle?
3 – Do you feel vegans are adequately provided for in the highlands?
4 – Would you entertain eating in a vegan restaurant or cafe based in one of the popular highland destinations

1) No, but I rarely eat meat or dairy, mostly only when it would make others' lives too difficult or my friends have salvaged it from the Waitrose bins

2) Yes, I was vegan for a couple of years, but eventually concluded is was far easier -- and far less alienating for others, like half of those that have replied so far -- to go 95%of the way there rather than 100% vegan

3) I can only guess. I very much doubt it.

4) It would be my preference if I was there, but I'm flexible enough to eat fish and chips if I have to (and sometimes happy to do to be honest)

Perhaps what others have suggested makes sense, i.e. offering a good range of vegan options, but other veggie and meat options too.

may be do the opposite of a pub? They often have an overadvertised sh**ty token vegan meal, saying something like 'vegans rejoice, we have COUS COUS, and it comes with RAISINS!!'

The equivalent would be something like having a nice range of vegan meals, with chicken nuggets for the omnivorous

I'm vegetarian as is my wife. i absolutely love the Scottish highlands and im starting to go back up more regularly again having got back into biking, walking etc - now ive got more like-minded friends etc.

the one factor i personally think lets the highland down (painting very broad strokes here) is the lack of vegetarian food. after a few days of pub options (mac cheese/ veggie burgers etc) its pretty limiting. of course, small villages further north are providing what the majority want to buy and there's never more than 'a V option' on most menus.

whilst i personally would welcome more options for veggie (and vegan) travelers I'm not sure its interesting enough for many to make it a viable business.

obviously barring those I’ve made personally is quite possible a significant proportion of said cakes were not “real”

I know what you mean, I bought (only once!) a tin of 'baked beans' in the States.  They were sickly sweet and had clumps of fatty, sloppy, brown 'bacon' in them.  Gag-central.  Real baked beans, as we all know, are vegan!  I like(d) bacon, but not when it's snuck into a tin of vegan beans 😉

may be do the opposite of a pub? They often have an overadvertised sh**ty token vegan meal, saying something like ‘vegans rejoice, we have COUS COUS, and it comes with RAISINS!!’ <span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">The equivalent would be something like having a nice range of vegan meals, with chicken nuggets for the omnivorous</span>

😃

Brilliant.  Make sure you clearly label the use of any dimethylpolysiloxane  in the chicken nuggets!

I like(d) bacon, but not when it’s snuck into a tin of vegan beans

Completely off topic now but i never got the "but, bacon" thing in response to vegans, i could live a life without bacon with only the mildest of disappointment. But no butter? Get in the sea.

dimethylpolysiloxane

Dimethyl[i]poulet[/i]siloxane surely?

😆

I know what you mean, I bought (only once!) a tin of ‘baked beans’ in the States.  They were sickly sweet and had clumps of fatty, sloppy, brown ‘bacon’ in them.

The US is pretty bad for that in relation to the UK.  We're used to buying convenience foods, things like jars of pasta sauce or Pot Noodles, with the default assumption that they're vegetarian unless it says "beef" or suchlike in big letters on the label.  As a veggie (and allergic to cheese) I'd to scrutinise everything I was looking to buy.

No

No

I don't know but strongly doubt it

Yes if there was nowhere better nearby.

Last week in Iceland I ate horse, puffin, whale and reindeer as well as lots of fish, pig, sheep and cow.I like meat.

1 – Are you a vegan? - Nuh
2 – Are you interested in vegan food/lifestyle? - Nuh
3 – Do you feel vegans are adequately provided for in the highlands? - Can't answer that see 1
4 – Would you entertain eating in a vegan restaurant or cafe based in one of the popular highland destinations - Well I have no problem with stopping at the Pillars of Hercules near Falkland (vegetarian) or having a falafel wrap for lunch from a Moroccan Cafe near my work so unlikely to have a problem eating vegan food if it's decent... But vegan food is just cardboard isn't it?

1. No

2. No

3. Not sure but doubt it

4. Wouldn't be the first choice but if needs must...

As others have said before, you're probably going to limit your appeal by only catering to one niche market.

Plant based and GF.

Lifestyle, I am too much of a realist to think an ideological lifestyle would  be possible for me. That said, I have self regulated guidelines that I live my life by.... most of the time.

Erm, adequately provided for in the highlands? It's a choice made by me, no one is under any obligation to provide for me, in fact, part of the reason I love to visit Scotland is that I have to provide for myself. The fact is that the market for a vegan only cafe would be small...   that said there is a place for everything and there is a growing number of people making the choice to 'go vegan'. I found a cracking place in mid Wales, amazed me and was very busy. They knew their stuff, excellent food and a wonderful attitude towards all customers.

I do seek out places that offer a choice that fits with my current eating options. The people I'm with may be a factor though.

I'm a simple fella....   I feel blessed to be able to read the opinions of some on here that are so bloody clever they know more about my choices than I do. Sanctimonious buggers, if eating in a vegan focused cafe means I don't have to overhear their bleating so much the better. Chances are though that some bloody preachy vegan will take their place though.

I love people, I hate people.

Life ain't half confusing.