While on my way back from the Equilibrium conference in Toronto which was a fabulous experience, and I’m gonna share more about it later, I stopped by Tim Hortons, Canada’s largest quick-service restaurant chain, looking for a vegan option. There was not a single vegan option on the menu. Later on at Toronto’s Pearson Airport, I stopped by to grab a quick bite and I stopped by at Starbucks asking the barista what are the vegan options. Nilch! Zero, the server, off guarded and surprised, brainstormed with a couple of colleagues, and they came up with a “brilliant” idea, getting a beyond-meat sandwich that comes with egg and cheese, and removing the egg and cheese from it. The result was a small size bland patty between two slices of half-baked bread.
Why are fast food chains so reluctant to embrace vegan options? 43 out of the 50 largest fast food chains lack any vegan options, while As many as 6% of U.S. consumers say they are vegan — a 500% increase since 2014. Why are they so out of touch with the growing market of plant-based consumers? Are they feeling they are too big to fail? Or do they intentionally try to distance themselves from the vegan craze?
Possible reasons??
1- Failure in market research as they don’t know vegans exist?! As they are charging extra for their plant-based milk, they are already not only aware that vegans exist but also believe they are entitled to charge extra because whoever is vegan supposedly can afford to pay an extra buck for a few ccs of plant-based milk.
2- They don’t want to provide services to vegans?? Possibly, even it’s probable that they wish to dissuade vegans from their choice. They not only disrespect their vegan customers’ choices, but in general, they fail to see their customers’ demands. This is arrogance.
3- They believe this is hype that financially doesn’t worth the investment? Blockbuster thought so too. This is ignorance.
4- They think they are too big to fail?! Can Starbucks and other chains with thousands of stores become bankrupt because of a bunch of hippie snowflake vegans?! They see themselves above their customers.
As a business owner who has fought to get every customer, my respect is for my clients. I appreciate them putting their trust in me and my team. How can they disrespect their customers’ TRUST? As a vegan, I’m appalled to see the arrogance of brands who disrespect my Choice as a vegan. Anyway, no one, no entity, no organization, and no government has been able to survive and thrive through arrogance and ignorance. If you are a business owner who doesn’t provide services to vegans, you are not only a bad executive but you are an absolute failure.
The wave of AI will only accelerate the change. Some businesses have to fail. They are not elephants but mammoths. Don’t blame technology for your failure. Blame your arrogance in not embracing the change and not responding to your customer’s demands, period.
#veganlife #