It’s a well-known fact in vegan circles that vegans, more often than not, pay more for being vegan. You don’t have to travel far to realise this, and it can sap the joy out of vegan food travel.
Something as simple as buying a soy latte from a local café sometimes involves getting slugged with a surcharge. In my own travels, I can be slapped with an additional 50 to 70 cent charge when I ask for soy milk. And, don’t get me started on almond milk or coconut milk; these milks attract an even higher fee.
When it comes to food, and if I’m dining at a place that’s not 100% vegan, I get charged the same price, if not more, for a vegan version of a dish. If I factor in gluten-free, my order can attract another surcharge, too. This business practice is also evident when ordering a vegan version of a dish that just involves removing a few ingredients. Vegans can still get charged the same if just one item is removed.
Here’s one classic example; my delicious lunch at The Main in Berwick for my family’s Mother’s Day lunch last weekend.
This was the breakdown of my lunch that consisted of only one meal and one beverage:
Pumpkin Risotto = $23.90
Vegan Option surcharge = $3.00
Gluten-free Option surcharge = $2.00
Latte = $3.90
Soy Milk = $0.70
Total = $33.50
As a non-vegan comparison, there’s an osso bucco risotto on their menu that costs $25.90 and a latte with cow’s milk for $3.90. More non-vegan options can be viewed in the photo below…
When I was 19, I worked part-time in hospitality while I studied at uni full-time. I worked as a waitress. Even then (I’m 40 now!), I experienced complaints from customers when they had to pay the same price if they decided to remove an item off their dish. If more charges incurred as a result of adding items to a dish or beverage, customers would still complain.
So, what’s happening here? What exactly is the true cost of vegan food travel?
I think the true cost of vegan food travel is living in a world that perceives vegan food as an expensive and laborious exercise, rather than a wise business opportunity. Let me explain.
As you know, I dine at venues that aren’t necessarily known to be all-vegan. I make this a personal choice because I love being able to show food businesses that there is an ever-growing demand for vegan food. Australia is the third-fastest growing vegan market in the world, and Melbourne is one of the country’s most vegan friendly cities. Animal-based ingredients can also cost more than plant-based ones.
Food businesses could remove these extra charges by perhaps absorbing any extra charges in other areas of the business (e.g. alcohol, specials menu items). Businesses should set competitive prices for vegan menu items; pricing that’s within reason if more expensive, non-vegan ingredients are not being used. Businesses are then effectively saying to vegan customers: “Welcome. We can cater for you, and we aren’t going to charge you extra for it.”
It’s a matter of making vegan travellers feel included, and removing prejudice from customer relations. What better way for businesses to be more hospitable than to drop these unnecessary surcharges altogether? Demand helps to decrease market price.
Food businesses need to embrace innovative ways to meet the market, and meet an accelerating market that isn’t going away any time soon.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and your experiences as a vegan food traveller. Do you ever get slugged charges, just because you’re vegan? Do you feel discriminated against, just because you have decided to be vegan? Let me know in the comments below!
