veggie grill

A while back I was listening to NPR and the story  really changed my thinking. Previously in this blog you may have noticed I use the term "veggie-positive" to describe my food and this story is where that came from. The term veggie-positive is trademarked by Veggie Grill, which is a fast-casual dinning chain with 28 locations on the west coast. Veggie Grill serves vegan food but their business model focuses more on promoting the quality of their food. Labels like "vegan" or "vegetarian" exclude those who are just trying to eat more vegetables, which is most of us if you're concerned with eating healthier. I don't want to eat vegan food because of the negative connotations that are attached to it, but I'd eat that burger pictured above. The burger is vegan, but it looks delicious and that's what matters to me!
It's interesting because they're model is similar to Chipotle's in that the food is good and the sustainability is an extra for customers. Sure some people go there because it is vegan or sustainable, but most of their business (80%) comes from those who are trying to eat more veggies or are just looking for good food.

I'd highly recommend listening to the podcast online. I'm not vegetarian and I'm definitely not vegan, but I am "veggie-positive" and it has changed my life.