John Dory’s, the South African seafood restaurant chain, have announced that they will be taking their sustainability mission to the next level by launching a special plant-based addition to their menu in time for Veganuary.
Veganuary is a global movement started in the UK in 2014 that encourages people to take the pledge to be vegan for 31-days in January. South Africans have started to embrace the movement with gusto, and this year the South African sign ups were the 8th highest in the world and showed a whopping 80% growth from 2019.
The John Dory’s team have worked closely with the Fry Family Food Co. to create a delicious Veganuary specific menu that makes it possible for diners to really discover the pleasure of plant-based eating. Family-focused restaurants like John Dory’s are an important part of a network of support for consumers taking the pledge. Having mainstream brands like John Dory’s participate in Veganuary makes it that much easier for people to continue to enjoy their favourites – but with plant-based alternatives.
The menu uses the 100% plant-based Tempura Battered Prawn-Style Pieces from Fry’s in three delectable vegan offerings: Zingy Prawn-Style Tacos served in soft shell tacos with saffron chutney vegan mayo and chips; a Prawn-Style Bowl packed with the goodness of bulgar wheat, avo, cucumber, lettuce, chickpeas, lentils and cherry tomatoes and the Prawn-Style Sushi Platter with 4x Prawn-Style Avalanche with saffron chutney vegan mayo, 4x Prawn-Style Rainbow Rolls and 2x Prawn-Style Sandwiches.
“We are really thrilled to be working with John Dory’s this Veganuary,” says Tammy Fry, International Marketing Manager at Fry’s. “Their enthusiastic support for the movement really speaks to their mission to make sustainability a living reality in their restaurants.”
“John Dory’s is a family restaurant and it’s important to us that our menus are inclusive. Inclusivity, in our opinion is synonymous with the meaning of family,” says Leonard Coetzee, Chief Operating Officer, John Dory’s. “No one family is the same. Veganuary affords us the opportunity to have options on our menu that make it possible for a group of diverse people to get together and enjoy a variety of meal options. It is therefore important that our plant-based options are well-thought out and have mouth-watering items to excite everyone,” adds Coetzee.
“John Dory’s have always relied on the bounty of our oceans for the products we serve, but also understand that this resource is under tremendous pressure, not only from overfishing and pollution but also climate change,” says Joe Stead, Group Sustainability Manager of the Spur Group. Stead explains that it is important to allow fish stocks to replenish by offering their customers sustainable plant-based alternatives and reduce the reliance on animal based proteins in an effort to protect marine life for future generations.
“South African consumers are understanding more and more that plant-based foods are an important part of a sustainable future, not just environmentally, but for their health too – and this is starting to reflect in the choices that future forward brands are making,” says Fry. “We anticipate an even greater leap in the number of South African Veganuary sign ups in 2021, and restaurant chains like John Dory’s are an incredibly important part of that mix.”
To participate in Veganuary consumers can join the We Love Veganuary Facebook Group which will offer tips, tricks, meal plans, recipes, special offers and so much more: www.facebook.com/groups/weloveveganuary