Portland-based restaurants and grocers promote Veganuary in their 2024 offerings to encourage more people to try vegan in the new year
(Portland, OR – January 8, 2024) – Restaurants and retailers throughout Portland are offering promotions and plant-based specials all month long to celebrate Veganuary 2024, the global campaign that encourages people to try vegan in January and beyond. Every January, businesses around the world are launching more, bigger, and better vegan menus to capitalize on the huge popularity of Veganuary.
The interest in veganism is markedly strong in Portland – in 2023 it ranked as the #2 city in the US and #1 metro area in the US for searches of the term “vegan” on Google. Even local companies and organizations like Higher Taste, the Association of Oregon Recyclers, and New Seasons Market are participating by encouraging their staff and members to sign up for the Veganuary challenge.
“By embracing Veganuary, we’re not just highlighting a broad range of plant-based foods; we’re also empowering our customers to deepen their understanding of where their food comes from and what’s in it. Education is a key ingredient in making informed, thoughtful food choices, and we’re committed to providing the necessary resources for our community to do just that,” said Chris Harris, Category Director for Produce at New Seasons Market. “At New Seasons Market, every choice is a chance to do good. By continuously supporting our customers’ journey towards more conscious eating, we affirm that our stores remain a place that celebrates sustainability, healthy living and the power of community.”
A new study conducted by YouGov on behalf of Veganuary reported that 71%* of all US adults are hoping to eat more vegetables in 2024. Veganuary is working with restaurants nationwide to help meet this demand with more plant-based dishes and more choice overall. In addition, Portland Vegan Dining Month, in support of Veganuary, has worked with several local restaurants and brands to create even more specials for the 2024 campaign.
Some of this year’s highlights in Portland include:
- New Seasons Market – Celebrating Veganuary online by highlighting their expansive plant-based range, and in-store with “Vote for Veggies” buttons for staff and with special offers from plant-based products like Prime Roots deli meats and The Better Bar
- Salt & Straw – Launching new “Dairy-Free Decadence Series” featuring five new vegan flavors including Toasted Oat Milk & Cookies, Red Velvet Cake w/ Cream Cheese Frosting, Bananas Foster w/ Candied Pecans, Marionberry Oatmeal Cobbler, and Death By Chocolate Chocolate Cake
- Sizzle Pie – Announced their new Pizza of the Month: Battle Cat, which features an olive oil base, Follow Your Heart vegan mozzarella, red onion, tomato, seasoned soy curls, and green onion, finished with spicy crema verde
- Veggie Grill – Offering weekly “Buy One Get One” specials on a variety of dishes, as well as a $5 off $20 coupon for the entire menu
- Rush Bowls – Launching a Detox Bowl, which features a blend of banana, pineapple, apple, pitaya, lemon, ginger, cinnamon and oat milk, topped with fresh apples and pomegranate seeds
- Food Fight – Offering a special Veganuary shake called the Veganucherry, made with maraschino cherries and chocolate chips, and priced at $1 off regular 16oz shake prices
- Rudy’s Gourmet Pizza – Launching creamy spinach, artichoke, and jalapeño pizza, featuring roasted artichoke, spinach, and jalapeños on top of creamy, cheesy sauce covered in Follow Your Heart mozzarella shreds with garlic butter crust
- Blossoming Lotus – Featuring a new rustic vegetable stew, with tomatoes and bell peppers stewed in a creamy rich sauce with cannellini beans, roasted carrots, kale, cashew chevre, and chives; served with toasty roasted garlic bread
- Gnarly’s – Launching The Hunky Tony, a spicy PB and J burger with a signature patty, bakon, Portland Spicy Peanut Butter, pickled jalapeños, spicy provolone, and blueberry compote on buttery toasted sourdough
- Departure – Creating new menu item: Roasted Squash Dan Dan Noodles, featuring tofu with roasted kabocha, acorn, and butternut squash, stir-fried broccolini, red cabbage, and kale, wok tossed with Chinese yakisoba noodles, in a Szechuan inspired Dan Dan noodle sauce, finished with toasted sesame, fragrant basil, and mandarin orange supremes for a touch of sweet, acidity
- Clarklewis – Adding a new 3-course meal, featuring a baby green salad (Peter’s cranberries, toasted pecans, fennel, honey crisp apple, cranberry-bergamot vinaigrette); Kern Ridge carrot “Osso Bucco” wild foraged mushrooms, cipollini onions, whipped Montecucco Farms turnips; and wood-baked fresh pear crumble – chai spiced sorbet.
- More specials can be found on the Vegan Dining Month website
“January marks a large consumer shift towards prioritizing planet friendly eating and living a healthy lifestyle, so we’re encouraging new and existing guests to participate in Veganuary with exciting weekly promotions throughout the whole month!” said Renae Scott, Chief Marketing Officer of Veggie Grill. “We’re looking forward to seeing our dedicated Veggie Grill fanbase in Portland invite vegan-curious or flexitarian friends and family to try our plant-powered salads, bowls, comfort food and more.”
Veganuary aims to help people who are curious about eating vegan by providing free recipes, shopping tips, restaurant guides, and meal plans. Major national and regional brands, retailers, and restaurants have joined Veganuary by offering promotions, giveaways, and special menu items, viewable on Veganuary’s Special Offers page, while creating specialized marketing campaigns for plant-based products. The organization also works with restaurants, retailers, and other businesses to help them launch and promote exciting Veganuary specials and initiatives, outlined in the Veganuary Business Support Toolkit.
About Veganuary
Veganuary is a nonprofit organization that encourages people worldwide to try vegan for January and beyond. Since Veganuary launched its first pledge 10 years ago – in January 2014 – millions of people, coming from almost every country in the world, have officially taken part, with campaign hubs in Germany, USA, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, India, Spain and the UK. This New Year’s revolution has also been embraced by businesses, with hundreds of companies taking part in Veganuary last year, launching thousands of new vegan products and menu items. Veganuary is free to join, and people can sign up at veganuary.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jessie Lingenfelter
Veganuary US Media
*All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1242 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 1st – 4th December 2023. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+).
