When Wagamama declared in 2021 that half of its dishes would be plant based, it won plaudits from the vegan world. But last week, its new menu axed a string of vegan favourites — sparking uproar from fans.
Now Andy Hornby, chief executive of the chain’s owner, The Restaurant Group (TRG), has defended the move, arguing that the dishes simply didn’t tempt enough diners.
“There’s no strategic change,” he insisted last week, saying that the chain was “following customer behaviour”.
Chief among the vanished dishes was the fan favourite “Vegatsu”, a vegan version of the Wagamama Katsu curry, which launched in 2018, made from soya protein and tofu instead of chicken.
The new menu places a greater emphasis on customers being able to build their own meals by selecting different ingredients.
Hornby claimed the menu had kept its vegan credentials. “I don’t think you will find another classic quality casual dining brand with a vegan range as broad as this,” he said.
“In each core category we have tried to make sure we have not just got a vegan option but a leading vegan option… so the amount of vegan sales goes up rather than down.”
In October 2021, Wagamama was the first mainstream restaurant in the UK to make half its menu “plant based” — by which it meant either vegan or vegetarian.
Andy Hornby said the chain was “following customer behaviour”
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However, the chain was accused of going back on its “Plant Pledge” after the latest removal of vegan items.
One user on TikTok said “I think people are feeling so betrayed by Wagamama” due to its previous pledge. “Now it seems they’re taking a massive step backwards,” she added.
Wagamama confirmed that 39 per cent of the menu is now vegan.
Over the past few years it has moved away from serving “meat alternatives” such as vegan chicken and vegan ribs, as well as the vegatsu. These were typically made from soya or pea protein. In April it removed its “Vegan K-Dogs” — breadcrumb-coated soya protein sticks — from the menu.
Emma Colquhoun, chief marketing and commercial officer at Wagamama, said the changes to the menu were based on customer feedback but also reflected trends in the industry, including a move away from “ultra-processed foods”.
The restaurant chain was recognised as a vegan trailblazer after introducing a world-first vegan egg in 2019.
At the time, Wagamama’s executive chief said: “We truly believe in championing plant-based eating.”
A Wagamama spokesperson said: “All of our most popular vegan dishes remain on the menu, with our top five vegan dishes accounting for 78 per cent of all vegan sales, and we’ll keep developing new and exciting plant-based dishes as part of future menu updates.”
TRG was taken private in 2023 by private equity giant Apollo. Hornby, the former boss of HBOS, took up the top job at TRG in 2019.
Wagamama’s changes come as the vegan market suffers a contraction after years of growth. According to market research firm NielsenIQ, sales of refrigerated and frozen alternative meat fell 21 per cent this year compared to two years ago.
Marks & Spencer recently axed items such as vegan cookies and a vegan pasta dish. Heck, Oatly and Nestlé have also scaled back their vegan products.
