Florida: Tampa’s Vegan International found success by breaking rules

From cltampa.com

Nick Alami knew he had to think outside of the box 

Vegan restaurants face an uphill battle, but the challenges aren’t exclusive to the meatless crowd.

Nick Alami, owner of Vegan International Co. in Tampa, also sees plant-based restaurant closures as an indicator of a broader issue. 

“People forget that this is not a vegan problem; this is a restaurant problem in general,” Alami told CL. “The vegan industry just happens to be highlighted because everyone just wants to poke fun and people are just waiting for another vegan restaurant to close.”

When Alami opened Vegan International Co. in 2018, he realized that he had to think outside the box and break some conventional rules of restauranteering to stay open. 

Starting with the menu. 

As its name implies, Vegan International Co. offers Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Caribbean, Trans-Asian and American classics with a vegan spin, pushing back against the trope that long menus equal bad food. 

                                                                      Credit: Dave Decker / Creative Loafing Tampa Bay

According to Alami, most of Vegan International’s customer base is not vegan or vegetarian, which is a market he loves to serve and where he sees some meatless restaurants go wrong. 

“You have to create food that everyone can enjoy,” Alami said. “It’s not a science experiment. This is food…. You have the opportunity to really showcase it’s not that complicated, it’s not that crazy, it is delicious, it is affordable, it’s convenient and we’re here for you.”

Many of the cracks that Alami sees in the meatless restaurant industry—the options, the affordability—he tries to remedy in his business approach. 

“Vegan franchises don’t work,” Alami said. “Streamlined concepts don’t work for veganism. Options do, big menus do… unique concepts do.”

Alami notes that politics will always impact the meatless food industry, but says trends like MAHA shouldn’t stop a successful vegan business.

He ultimately wants his food to speak for itself.

“I prefer to use food as my preferred form of activism,” he said. “We can preach no meat, no dairy till the end of days. Without providing the alternative, it’s moot.” 

https://www.cltampa.com/food-drink/tampas-vegan-international-found-success-by-breaking-rules/