Innovation

Veganism involves adopting a lifestyle that does not use animal products. Depending on the person, and how he or she decides to consume their products, a vegan lifestyle may only refer to diet. This means not eating foods containing meat, eggs, and dairy, as all these products come from animals. For others, a vegan lifestyle can translate into something broader, encompassing a real passion for animals and the environment, including avoiding all products that involve animal cruelty, such as animal fur clothing or product brands that test on animals. Furthermore, people who switch to plant-based diets often are environmentally conscious, as well as health conscious, taking the time to shop organic for most, if not all, products. Overall, veganism promotes an awareness of human health, animal life, and the larger implications of climate change.

The owner and executive chef at Veganized, Ron Biton, has been vegan for years, long before opening this restaurant. When asked about what led him to where he is now he explained, “years ago I pursued a vegan lifestyle. Once I pursued that I also got into organic and natural, which put me on this path, and made me want to try to open up a restaurant one day.” Essentially, from the beginning, the restaurant was always going to be a vegan one. Ron Biton’s mission was always about making people recognize that being vegan can be delicious too. He aimed to happily surprise people by making his customers aware they do not have to sacrifice anything, especially taste, to eat vegan, to be healthy.

Not only is the restaurant a way for its owner to please his customers with delicious food, but it also embodies a few of the United Nations sustainable development goals. By only sourcing from organic and plant-based suppliers for ingredients, Veganized promotes businesses that practice sustainable production. Producing animal products has long-term effects on the environment, including increasing the amount of greenhouse gases and, therefore, increasing the negative consequences of climate change. Additionally, Ron Biton says about 95% of his customers are non-vegan. By getting them into the restaurant to enjoy their food, they can be more aware of what it means to be vegan and even integrate it into their lives once a month, once a week, and eventually even more. This creates the demand for vegan products, inspires more businesses to explore sustainable or organic options, and overall can do wonders for people’s overall health.

Inspiration

Rob Biton has been vegan for many years and has previously worked at several vegan restaurants. He was inspired to open this restaurant because a few years ago he began to consume only organic food and became so passionate about veganism that he decided to focus his efforts on creating a company that produced vegan, healthy, and appetizing food. In April 2015, Rob Biton opened up Veganized in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He further notes that not only customers from New Brunswick come to try his food, but people from all across the area come to dine at his restaurants. In addition, he believed that consuming meat has a significant environmental impact and that the human body does not require the consumption of as much meat as some believe necessary. Veganism, on the other hand, implies living longer and happier lives.

His restaurant's goals are to serve gourmet food while also promoting environmentally sustainable eating practices that reduce harm to the world and animals. He feels that his restaurants have had a significant impact on people's willingness to try vegan food, and that some individuals are now inspired to go vegan. He ensures that basic foods like burgers, mac and cheese, and pizza can be made healthier and more appetizing when prepared vegan. He also highlights the numerous advantages of a vegan lifestyle, such as how they focus on providing tasty meals so that people will return and remark that vegan meals are similarly tasty.

Overall impact

Throughout the selection process of picking a company for the group to focus on, we had many requirements before deciding on one. One of the most important requirements was the impact of the company on the society and world around it. The company we are focusing on is the Veganized company located in New Brunswick who focuses on creating vegan food that's appealing and appetizing. The restaurant started a few years ago when the owner noticed and decided to change that vegans don't have a lot of places to eat. After the restaurant started up, the owner began to see an impact in the short term and long term on the communities and world around it.

The impact of Veganized on the community and world around it has been very large in the short term and long term. One example of short term impact would be the increase of individuals that the restaurant has brought to the local community which can be supported by how during the interview with the owner, he mentioned, “During our settlement into this place, we have brought many customers that are curious about our products and the communities around us has seen a large increase in foot traffic.” Furthermore, the long term impact of the restaurant on the world around it is the overall impact of eating vegan and not eating meats. A study by Oxford found “cutting meat and dairy products from your diet could reduce an individual's carbon footprint from food by up to 73 per cent” ( “Going Vegan Is 'Single Biggest Way' to Reduce Our Impact, Study Finds.”). People choosing to go vegan can decrease our carbon output and in turn decrease global warming. These are the examples of the short and long term effects of the restaurant on the community and environment around it.

Business benefit

Years prior to the launch of Veganized, the owner Ron Biton began his strictly organic vegan diet. He was so passionate that he decided to create a restaurant that only served organic vegan options. In 2015, Rob Biton created his vision and opened Veganized. Ever since the launch, this restaurant is known for its creative menu items as well as its great tasting food. Because Veganized is known for having great food it not only attracts vegan customers but most of the customers are people who are just interested in trying out new foods. The restaurant's innovative menu focuses on “making common everyday food but adding layers to each item, like taking Mac & Cheese and making it healthier and appetizing all the while being vegan.”

Because the Veganized aims to be great tasting and vegan at the same time, customers are attracted from all around New Jersey. Innately, due to its vegan only options, Veganized entered into a niche market with little to no competition, which in turn established itself as the main attraction for vegan people. Also, by positioning itself as the first to enter a new market, it has little to no competition. Of course, other restaurants may have some vegan options, but having a whole restaurant dedicated to veganism is a unique offering that interests both vegans and non-vegans in the area.

Social and environmental benefit

To understand the advantages of veganism, we must first evaluate the drawbacks of a typical diet. Every bite a person takes has an unspoken impact on the Earth. The meat and dairy industries have an even larger impact. Ranchers and farmers must keep up with demand as the world's population grows. Overbreeding, over-slaughtering, and over-feeding animals consumes vast amounts of resources, rendering the industry unsustainable.

A vegan diet, according to the United Nations, provides "a major opportunity for mitigating and adapting to climate change" (“14 Reasons Why Going Vegan Is The Best Thing We Can Do For The Planet”). These are the food industries that are the most harmful to the environment. In terms of life cycle emissions, the United States emits 16 tons of carbon per year, with consumption patterns playing a major role. According to Oxford University, turning vegan can cut our carbon impact by 73 percent, and studies show that plant-based meats like the impossible meat emit 90 percent fewer greenhouse gasses (“14 Reasons Why Going Vegan Is The Best Thing We Can Do For The Planet”).

Other effects of modern animal product consumption include water pollution and deforestation, both of which have resulted in the extinction of several species in the damaged oceans and forests. Going vegan can also help to reduce world hunger and improve people's health. Animal agriculture also forces land to be stripped of natural resources. Currently, one-third of the planet's land is dedicated to raising animals for the sole purpose of consumption.

Turning vegan around the world has the potential to preserve the Earth and, by extension, the people who live on it. It is a challenging task, but one that is becoming increasingly important as the effects of climate change are seen. People who already follow a plant-based diet are catered to, thanks to firms like Veganized, while others are encouraged to investigate a lifestyle that can help save the world.

Interview

Ron Biton, Owner/Executive Chef