Innovation

Veganized’s innovation is to serve 100% organic, natural, and most importantly vegan food. Veganized also goes out of their way to source their ingredients from local farms and greenhouses when available. As well as using natural and organic ingredients, Veganized also uses natural and organic cleaning products in the establishment when possible. Veganized’s main focus is to keep their services and products as natural as possible, avoiding pesticides and other chemicals used in most foods today. They aim to make the world a healthier place for everyone and provide delicious and organic food to their customers that seek to live a better lifestyle.

Along with natural and organic foods, they make sure all their ingredients and products are vegan, meaning there is no trace of animal products. Not only are they working towards healthier lifestyles, they are also helping livestock such as cow, pig, and chicken be used less for food. Veganized’s innovation is one of a kind in the area and it gives people looking for that sort of lifestyle access to that kind of food. It allows them to easily live a healthy vegan lifestyle and not have to worry about whether there is animal products in their food. The owner, Ron, has been a vegan for over 20 years and has helped bring awareness to the vegan lifestyle as well.

Inspiration

After working in the vegan restaurant industry in New York City for about a decade, Mr. Ron Biton decided that he wanted to open and run his own restaurant as well. Biton was convinced that "being vegan, that it was either that [opening a vegan restaurant] or nothing. " Serving vegan food was not the only important idea to keep in mind, but also utilizing "cups and other products purchased from fair trade" was also something that he valued, in order to promote a sustainable and socially responsible lifestyle within the restaurant. After acquiring capital to financially support the venture, Mr. Biton got in contact with some friends that he knew in the New Brunswick, NJ community and looked for property to start laying the groundwork on what would later be foremost, New Brunswick's premier stop for tasty vegan food. The time that Mr. Biton spent working in the industry was beneficial, as it gave him an idea of how to play around with ideas so that they come out beautifully. In relation to management and running the business, he learned many tidbits on what works and what should not be done. Overall, Veganized is a very personal venture for owner Mr. Biton, and it has been incredibly successful thus far.

Overall impact

The overall impact of the innovation is extremely positive in the long-term as first, it supports the concept of veganism and makes it more attainable to the general public, thereby exposing them to a healthier lifestyle. Veganized also offers a healthier alternative to customers who don’t want to eat in casual or fast food restaurants because of dietary or other reasons. It is important to recognize that all of the food and cleaning products as well as utensils within the establishment are locally sourced when possible and purchased in fair trade exchanges when available. By selling food free of animal products, added preservatives, and hormones, the restaurant encourages and practices responsible consumption and production, thereby reducing greenhouse emissions. Also, meatless products demote a wasteful industry in which thousands of gallons of water are used to produce comparably minuscule amounts of meat.

The short-term impact of Veganized's innovation is that it creates a sense of uniqueness in the area that the restaurant is located. There are virtually no competitors offering similar services within a 30-minute radius of downtown New Brunswick, NJ which allows the business to capitalize on the abundance of sales from exclusivity in the area.

Business benefit

The revenue to open Veganized came from the owner, Mr. Ron Biton, saving up money over the years and working in vegan restaurants in New York City. After being contact by a friend in New Brunswick, the first step in opening Veganized was made by purchasing property and opening up the business on paper. Initially, there was a lot of skepticism around the establishment and the quality of food that was offered, but after promoting it heavily on the nearby campus, more and more customers came in. Five to eight employees were hired towards the beginning of Veganized's first year, but eventually the number of customers doubled by the middle of year two, and another five to eight were hired.

There is currently one Veganized location, but Mr. Biton does have his eye on expanding as there is potential for the business to grow if more seating were available. Employees are hired every couple of months as a large number of them work part-time in the "front-line" which involves serving customers and taking orders. Since these roles are typically fulfilled by college students, employees are being hired fairly often because of the low retention rate. After adding more options to the menu and advertising how the restaurant locally sources food, more and more young adults have been making trips to Veganized to see what all of the "noise" is about, thereby increasing foot traffic by almost double in two years.

Social and environmental benefit

The concept of veganism helps people learn more about animal rights. Apart from health reasons, people may be willing to start being vegan or reduce consumption of animal products like pork, chicken and so on. People demonstrate their compassion for animals by avoiding animal products.

For the environment, the amount of water that it takes to make 1 pound of meat can instead be used to make 350 pounds of plant protein, which relieves a heavy burden on the limited water resources from the earth. In addition, there is a large amount of grain required for the process of meat production which is relieved as well. The food served at Veganized is locally sourced as well which reduces greenhouse emissions and promotes responsible consumption and production. The food that is served is also 95% organic and natural, thereby fulfilling a need for more health-consciousness in society today. Thus, veganism will be the most beneficial and effective way to impact the environment positively through sustainable consumption and production.

Interview

Ron Biton, Owner