How to get more plant-based meat dishes on restaurant menus? A mini-theory and initial empirical validation

Replacing some meat dishes with plant-based alternatives would make the hospitality industry more environmentally sustainable. Yet plant-based meat dishes are rarely served in restaurants. We conducted a sequential mixed-methods study focusing on the demand side to develop and empirically test a mini-theory that explains why this might be the case. We first interviewed 37 Australian restaurant chefs and managers to identify why chefs hesitate to offer plant-based meat dishes. Findings suggest that the reasons for chefs not to use plant-based meat relate to popularity, familiarity, taste, enjoyment of cooking, naturalness, environmental sustainability, cost, and availability of these products. Using these qualitative insights, we developed a mini-theory and tested it in a quantitative survey study to highlight opportunities for enticing chefs to offer plant-based meat dishes. Educating chefs on plant-based meat presents a promising leverage point to increase availability of meat alternatives in restaurants.