Vegan cafe help/ideas/stats??

December 18, 2003

Hi all,

I'm glad to be aboard the forum, thank you for being here!

I have a couple questions i'm wondering if anyone can help me with, or guide me

in the right direction.

I am working on my business plan for a vegan restaurant to be opened in the next

year (in Berkeley), and I would like to include some cold hard facts about the

bay area, berkeley in particular, just why this endeavor would be worth it to

the community. Those facts perhaps being statistics of a rough estimate of a

percentage of vegetarians that live here (as they would be targeted clientele),

and also, if you all wouldn't mind telling me if you think a vegan restaurant

would be good addition to the area? i feel like there can never be enough

vegetarian/vegan joints, there's always room for more! but what exactly do you

as the local veg people want in a new establishment, as far as atmosphere,

prices, food options, and the like, or what is missing from current places that

leaves you unsatisfied? I personally only care for one or two from berkeley to

marin, and think something needs to happen around here to support this great

veg/an community. I would appreciate all the input and info

you care to give me. Thank you all in advance! havagreatday

Howard

Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now

December 18, 2003

> what exactly do you as the local veg people want in a new

> establishment, as far as atmosphere, prices, food options, and

> the like, or what is missing from current places that leaves you

> unsatisfied?

Interestingly, one of the questions in our vegetarian restaurant contest is

" What type of vegan restaurant not yet in existence would you most like to

see? (i.e. Ethiopian, Russian, Greek, Persian, etc) " !

Once the contest ends (on dec 31st), we will publish the results.. i would

encourage folks who haven't voted to take a few minutes and do so today!

http://www.BayAreaVeg.org/contest.htm

Cheers,

Tammy

Get the veg vote out!! Vote for your favorite Vegetarian restaurants and be

eligible for prizes...

http://www.BayAreaVeg.org/contest.htm

December 18, 2003

Ever since Michael's American Vegetarian Diner in Berkeley closed, there

has been very little in the way " American " style veg restaurants. That

is the best market opportunity for a new restaurant IMHO.

À propos of diner food, I think the Saturn Cafe in Santa Cruz should

expand into the East Bay section of our Bay Area solar system. Can I get

an amen? If you're not hip, you should definitely stop in for some great

veg*n diner style food next time you're in Santa Cruz:

http://www.saturncafe.com/.

-Josh

howard timmer wrote:

> Hi all,

> I'm glad to be aboard the forum, thank you for being here!

> I have a couple questions i'm wondering if anyone can help me with, or

> guide me in the right direction.

> I am working on my business plan for a vegan restaurant to be opened

> in the next year (in Berkeley), and I would like to include some cold

> hard facts about the bay area, berkeley in particular, just why this

> endeavor would be worth it to the community. Those facts perhaps being

> statistics of a rough estimate of a percentage of vegetarians that

> live here (as they would be targeted clientele), and also, if you all

> wouldn't mind telling me if you think a vegan restaurant would be good

> addition to the area? i feel like there can never be enough

> vegetarian/vegan joints, there's always room for more! but what

> exactly do you as the local veg people want in a new establishment, as

> far as atmosphere, prices, food options, and the like, or what is

> missing from current places that leaves you unsatisfied? I personally

> only care for one or two from berkeley to marin, and think something

> needs to happen around here to support this great veg/an community. I

> would appreciate all the input and info

> you care to give me. Thank you all in advance! havagreatday

> Howard

>

> Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now

>

December 18, 2003

I'd second that vote! Saturn is great!

My other longing, believe it or not, is for a bodacious SALAD BAR, with all

the fixins'! There is NONE in the Berkeley area AT ALL, and beyond that

there are the dastardly chains, with sulfites and GMO products galore!

How about some good, varied, organic salads, vegan style?

Can our planetary restaurant come with a salad bar? Ooooh, now we're

talkin'!

Marcy

Ever since Michael's American Vegetarian Diner in Berkeley closed, there

has been very little in the way " American " style veg restaurants. That

is the best market opportunity for a new restaurant IMHO.

À propos of diner food, I think the Saturn Cafe in Santa Cruz should

expand into the East Bay section of our Bay Area solar system. Can I get

an amen? If you're not hip, you should definitely stop in for some great

veg*n diner style food next time you're in Santa Cruz:

http://www.saturncafe.com/.

December 18, 2003

sounds great, howard. good to know that you are motivated in that

direction. i've put a lot of thought into this, and i've come to a few

conclusions:

- a few years back, there were several veg restaurants with good,

creative brunch and breakfast items. (i still miss the fake bacon

benedict at organic city. and oh god, their fruit pancakes.) this

seems to no longer exist, or it exists in a limited sense. (a tofu

scramble here and there.) nowhere serves vegan breakfast all day,

everyday. herbivore has weekend brunch, though only until 2pm. plenty

of city dwellers aren't even awake at 2pm on a weekend. also: offer

wheat-free pancakes, or sell them as your only choice.

- there are no late night or all-night vegan or vegetarian

options. after 10pm, we are doomed.

- there is nowhere to go (other than millenium) where you can choose

among several mouthwatering, homemade vegan desserts, unless you want

to eat the same cake from black china bakery again. (i love their

cakes, but it would be really nice if you could go somewhere that put

some love into making their own desserts, instead of just selling what

i can already buy at the store.)

- veggies deserve good quality food, the freshest ingredients (organic

when possible), spice and flavor, and good quality, attractive

preparation. lettuce should never be wilted, food should never be

burned or undercooked. just because we are vegetarian doesn't mean

we're desperate.

- menus should change from time to time, ideally with the seasons, and

offer daily or weekly specials.

- avoid asian-fusion, thai or mexican inspired dishes. nothing wrong

with it, but there is enough of this already.

- atmosphere should avoid the trend of cold, modern environments with

light grained wood laminate, brushed steel counters, hotel art, and

those hangy track lights that everyone uses. atmosphere should feel

clean, yet comfortable and homey. i've been to too many restaurants

that have opened in the past few years that feel more like an office

than a beautiful space for sharing food. the diner atmosphere with big

comfy booths is always a safe bet, though that kind of environment

limits what you can do with your restaurant.

- the restaurant should always be warm, especially in winter, when

diving into a restaurant can be as much an escape from the elements

as it is a place to eat a hot meal.

- waitstaff should always be friendly and knowledgeable about the

food. waitstaff who are too " hip " or too busy to wait on you reflect

badly on your business, no matter how good the food is.

- location is everything. i personally would not open a restaurant

unless it were smack in the middle of a shopping district with

tons of foot traffic. there is nothing sadder to me than visiting

my favorite restaurants, only to find myself the only customer,

and hoping that they don't close down.

- chairs should have comfortable padding. tables should be big enough

for plates.

i recently discovered 'slice of life' up in sebastopol, and i found

that they were pretty close to my ideal for something i'd like in my

neighborhood. i may have decorated differently, but it felt very cute

and comfortable in there, and the staff definitely seemed to love the

food they were presenting. i had a great experience there, and i only

wished they would appear in san francisco. another a good place is

'venus of venice' down in los angeles. (though i preferred them at

their old location inside that old house.) on the higher end, 'real

food daily' in los angeles is excellent too, though their decor tends

towards that cold, modern style i was griping about earlier. juicy

lucy's in north beach is also amazing, though their menu is more

limited to the raw end of the spectrum.

if you haven't done this already, my advice to you would be to visit

every single vegetarian restaurant in san francisco and los angeles,

and make a list of what you like and what you don't like.

good luck

On 12/17/03, howard timmer <moogalactic wrote:

> I am working on my business plan for a vegan restaurant to be opened in the

next year (in Berkeley), and I would like to include some cold hard facts about

the bay area, berkeley in particular, just why this endeavor would be worth it

to the community. Those facts perhaps being statistics of a rough estimate of a