Copyright manchestereveningnews
You open up Instagram to see your favourite restaurant has shared a post, so you you read what they've written, just to discover that they're they're closing down for good - a devastating moment. This has happened to me time and time again over the past few years. Over the past ten or so years, the popularity of veganism across the UK seems to have surged and then fallen again. It’s tough to quantify exactly how many people in the UK choose to consume a plant-based diet, however recent research from The Vegan Society shows that as of January 2025, three per cent of people in Great Britain identify as either vegan or following a plant-based diet, which represents approximately two million individuals. In recent years, Greater Manchester has been hit with a series of vegetarian restaurant closures. Most recently, plant-based restaurant and takeaway Vegan Shack shared that it would be closing its doors for good in December, six years since opening. Other closures so far in 2025 include Simon Rimmer’s restaurant Greens in Sale , Herbivorous in Withington, and Dessert Island Dumplings in Afflecks Palace. And over the last few years, Manchester has also lost Rimmer’s other Greens restaurant in Didsbury , Vurger Co, V Rev, and Vertigo in the city centre, and the city's first fully vegan takeaway Zad’s which was located on Barlow Moor Road in south Manchester. And it's not just Greater Manchester that has been hit by these plant-based closures, the rest of the UK has been affected too. London spots such as Rudy’s Vegan Diner, Halo Burger and Neat Burger have all closed, as well as Veggie Republic in Liverpool, Jungle Bird in Birmingham, Friends of Food and Meat is Dead in Leeds and The Glasvegan in Glasgow. In order to survive during what can only be described as a hard time for small businesses, some vegan joints have had to make changes. In July 2024, plant-based restaurant and takeaway Wholesome Junkies, which originally started out as a stall in the Arndale Market, announced the closure of their city centre restaurant, which was located close to Victoria train station. But a few months after their closure announcement, Wholesome Junkies shared that they had landed a residence at Hinterland Bar in Northern Quarter . Known for their iconic plant-based burgers and small plates including tater tots and mac 'n' cheese, the business has managed to stay afloat in a tumultuous time for small businesses. Wholesome Junkies owner Chelsea Campbell attributes the struggle to both the decline in veganism plus the rising running costs for independent restaurants. Chelsea told the M.E.N: "The decline of vegan food being the newest fad and it’s actually going the other way, a lot of people are going back to meat, dairy and fish. The new craze is the collagen bone broth hype. "Independents are struggling anyway and then add an all vegan label on there and it’s basically closing doors." Talking about the rise and fall of veganism in the UK, Chelsea said there are "not enough" customers for the vegan restaurants. The Wholesome Junkies owner said: "It used to be hard to find anything vegan years and years ago, then it was a huge boom of vegan food and vegan specific food places popping up all over the country. "It was certainly a food trend for a while too which carried the movement. Now nearly almost all the independent vegan businesses have closed due to not enough customers or too much cost to keep running." And Chelsea said that the "vegan" label can turn customers away. She explained: "It’s felt like being penalised many times because of the label vegan, people run a mile when they hear this label which is such a shame it carries that weight. "We rely on word of mouth, once someone has tried our food with a friend who isn’t a vegan, they spread the word how much they enjoyed it and visit again." Another restaurant adapting to the times is The Allotment, formerly The Allotment Vegan Eatery, located close to Exchange Square in Manchester city centre, who have in the last year changed into a vegetarian restaurant rather than being exclusively plant-based. While this isn't a total loss for the vegan community of Manchester, it still begs the question - why are vegan restaurants struggling so much when veganism is supposedly still on the rise? The Vegan Society told the M.E.N that there is "no evidence" to suggest vegan restaurants are closing at a higher rate than those that serve meat. A spokesperson from The Vegan Society said: "Hospitality still remains a challenging business area, with, sadly, regular restaurant closures being a common thing. "There’s no evidence to suggest that vegan restaurants are closing at a higher rate than restaurants that also serve meat. Still, with fewer vegan restaurants generally, closures can be more noticeable." They added: "One other factor may also be the increase in vegan options in non-vegan restaurants, as veganism has become part of the mainstream. This has led to an increase in choice and competition, as a vegan no longer has to go to a purely vegan restaurant." A hard-hit for the Manchester vegan scene came just a few weeks ago when the owners of Vegan Shack announced that they would be closing for good on December 21. Vegan Shack was first established by founders Dimeji and Saffron with a mission to make delicious plant-based fast food accessible to people outside of Manchester City centre . Writing about the closure, Dimeji's Instagram post reads: "After six incredible years, we've made the tough decision to close Vegan Shack at the end of the year. Rising costs and a changing market made this the right call, but what a journey it's been. "We started Vegan Shack from nothing. From late nights to long shifts to serving hundreds of thousands of customers, what a ride it’s been." Vegan Shack had a restaurant in the Manchester hot spot of Piccadilly Gardens until October last year, when the owners announced it would be closing the branch. Now just a year later, the whole business is closing. In recent weeks, Asian fusion chain Wagamama has caused a stir for removing its much-loved ‘vegatsu’ from the menu, which is a plant-based version of the popular katsu curry dish. Back in 2021, Wagamama made a pledge for 50% of its menu to be plant-based, a pledge which has now been removed from its website. In a clip posted on TikTok by vegan content creator Sophie, she voiced her frustration about the menu alterations. She wrote in her caption: "In case you missed it, Wagamama released a new menu and (unsurprisingly) the vegan options were significantly reduced. Bye-bye vegan chicken, vegatsu and corn dogs." A Wagamama spokesperson told the M.E.N: “We made a number of updates to our menu in October, launching several new items, both vegan and non-vegan, to keep our offering fresh and exciting. These include our new vegan katsu udon, a new bao bun range, and bento boxes for kids. “As part of this refresh, we also removed a small number of dishes, both vegan and non-vegan, to ensure our menu continues to evolve in line with what our guests want most. “We continue to offer a wide range of vegan options. All of our most popular vegan dishes remain on the menu, with our top five vegan dishes accounting for 78% of all vegan sales, and we’ll keep developing new and exciting plant-based dishes as part of future menu updates.” Purezza is a successful plant-based pizza restaurant with a branch in Manchester's Northern Quarter and another two in London and Brighton. They have managed to stay afloat by making an effort to "appeal to everyone", not just vegans. Tim Barclay, the owner of Purezza, told the M.E.N: "We’ve always aimed to appeal to everyone, not just people who already eat plant-based food. The focus is on great flavour, generous portions, and a welcoming atmosphere. "The fact that it’s vegan is a bonus." When asked about how the demand for vegan food has changed in recent years, Tim explained: "The interest in plant-based eating is still strong, but people’s expectations have evolved. "A lot of customers are now looking for less processed, more natural and ingredient-led dishes, rather than heavily simulated meat alternatives." And the pizza joint has suggested that as well as rising costs of rent and bills, a lot of vegan restaurants opened at a similar time, which has led to an over crowded market. Tim explained: "All restaurants are currently struggling with rising running costs, from rent and rates to energy and staffing. At the same time. "Vegan restaurant closures are more noticeable, as many opened in a short period, creating a crowded market." Purezza can be found at 75-77 High St, Manchester M4 1FS Wholesome Junkies can be found at Hinterland Bar, 16-20 Turner St, Manchester M4 1DZ The Allotment can be found at 1-3 Cathedral Gates, Manchester M3 1SW
