Veganuary is in full swing, which means restaurants throughout the UAE, for a limited time, are cashing in on the annual trend by adding a few plant-based options to their menus.
This year, however, I’ve had far fewer press releases about such additions than I have since 2019, when the UAE went positively nuts for veganism.
This follows a wider trend I’ve noticed across the country, as restaurants have seemingly lost interest, vegan spots have shut down (I mourn the loss of Bloom Vegan Kitchen and its stellar cauliflower tacos) and some of my favourite dishes have disappeared from other menus.
I can only assume it wasn’t quite the cash cow restaurateurs expected. But I’m here to argue that not having at least a few vegan options on a menu is losing businesses money.
I’m almost always the only vegan, which means choosing a venue comes down to me, even if I’m with nine omnivores
“The veto vote” is what plant-based food consultant Nada Elbarshoumi calls it. This happens when one person in a dining party who is vegan, vegetarian or has food allergies, decides where the group will dine, she says.
“Someone will suggest a swanky Italian restaurant for dinner – the outdoor seating is fantastic, it’s Michelin-recommended, and the tiramisu is to die for. Enter Nada. A thorough audit tells me the restaurant does little in the way of catering to plant-based diners. I offer up the pan-Asian restaurant in the neighbouring hotel as an alternative.”
I’m starting to lose count of the number of times I’ve steered non-vegan diners away from vegan-unfriendly restaurants in the recent past.
I have a total of two vegan friends – they’re a couple, so if we all go out together then my husband will be the token meat-eater in the group, which is fun for a change.
But if they’re not with us, then I’m almost always the only vegan whose "annoying" dietary choices mean choosing a venue comes down to me, even if I’m with nine omnivores.
We need somewhere that can cater for everyone – so, if you don’t, then you’ve lost the group’s custom, not only mine.
The same goes for takeaways. Until recently, I ordered the mezze wrap by Mantoushe once a week, every single week. It’s a giant wrap with hummus, tabbouleh, spicy potato and other mezze classics packed in – hardly a groundbreaking invention, but delicious.
And it’s not on the menu any more. Why? All these items are individually available and they’re cheap. I can’t have been the only person ordering this dish, but I was the only Mantoushe-lover in my family and encouraged the rest of us to order from the restaurant every so often. Now we never do.
I was also a big fan of Zaroob's "not chicken" shawarma, but that's disappeared too. And, again, it was only my love of this dish that would ever bring the family to order from Zaroob over stiff competition from similar spots.
To me, the choice to remove all vegan dishes just doesn’t make any business sense. Having even just two or three options that don’t include any animal products not only makes your venue more inclusive (because vegetarians, flexitarians and people with dairy intolerances and allergies can also enjoy these), but also wins you handy (vegan) brownie points with the herbivores.
For example, the next time a meat-eating friend has a vegan coming to stay and they ask me where to take them, I’ll recommend your restaurant. And if your plant-based options are good, since so many places do them badly, you’ll win loyal vegan customers who are far less fickle than our meat-eating friends (because, let's face it, they have far more options on the table). And we’ll drag those meat-eating friends along.
The profit margins can be higher on vegan dishes, too, since vegetables don’t cost much, and beans and pulses have longer shelf lives than meat and fish. Too many restaurants have turned to meat and dairy substitutes, which are expensive and unnecessary.
Make vegetables the star of the show: create a chickpea-based patty instead of buying in Impossible burgers (which many vegans don’t even like), or try making a cashew-based cheese instead of loading up on Violife. Tofu and seitan are also relatively cheap vegan protein options that are easy to make tasty.
There’s another factor at play here too: modifications. I’ve always hated being that person who asks the chef to omit ingredients from a dish or, worse, make something off-menu, but sometimes I have to be. Add a couple of meat, dairy and egg-free options, and you can worry less about these pesky requests flooding in from vegans and allergy sufferers, leading to smoother service all round. Add in an option that’s vegan and gluten-free, and you’re golden.
We’re not asking for much here – just a few options and something a bit more creative than a green salad and avocado on toast. I promise, we’ll thank you for it in dirhams.
The lowdown
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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The biog
Name: Mariam Ketait
Emirate: Dubai
Hobbies: I enjoy travelling, experiencing new things, painting, reading, flying, and the French language
Favourite quote: "Be the change you wish to see" - unknown
Favourite activity: Connecting with different cultures
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Skoda Superb Specs
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The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
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Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
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