Vegan Café adds meat to menu

A vegan café in Auckland, New Zealand, has started serving meat to cope with rising costs.

The café, called Kind Café, is located in Morningside and made this tough choice after facing financial pressure. Manager Nigel Cottle explained that increasing expenses, such as rent, staff wages, and food costs, forced the change.

The Restaurant Association’s report showed that while sales in the sector increased by 5.8% to nearly $16 billion, the number of outlets barely grew, with only 27 new ones across the country. Despite higher sales, many businesses are struggling, including Kind Café.

Cottle said the café needed to raise its turnover by around 50% to survive.

The café, which had an 80% vegan menu, found that only 20% of its customers were vegan. To attract more customers, they decided to include meat in about 30% of their dishes, offering options like line-caught fish and free-range organic chicken.

Cottle noted that consulting with the vegan community was important, and many customers preferred the café to remain open with some meat options rather than close down. He described a decline in customer spending and an increase in operating costs, making it hard to sustain the business.

The hospitality industry overall has faced tough times. A recent survey by the Restaurant Association found that 78% of businesses in Auckland and 76% across New Zealand reported worse revenue than last year. Additionally, many businesses expect conditions to worsen, and mental health in the industry has declined due to these pressures.