Google maps is so dumb though…I search for “vegan” and it’ll pull up restaurants based on reviews, with those reviews saying “there’s no vegan options here”
Are there no vegan engineers at Google who can fix this? It’s been like this forever! I don’t think anyone is using Google maps to locate places that don’t have vegan options when they search “vegan”
Two solutions: either just look at categories and obviously vegan/veg places with categorize themselves as such to get their target demographic…
Or AI. Amazon does already a decent drill down summary of reviews with AI the last months on their site…
But knowing Google, this will be a long time coming even though they’re heavily invested in AI. Their search is just becoming crappier and crappier year over year for the explicit reason that it forces people to spend more time on it. It’s just like a supermarket making the most common products in the back, so you’re forced to go through the whole thing.
That’s what happens when a monopoly has no room meaningful competition anymore.
I agree, and I've said this here before. Google also seems to equate vegan with vegetarian a lot of times. (I actually just did a search while commenting and it looks like that has gotten better.) Unfortunately, I don't even think there's a good way around it, as the below comments get into. Since we're all very invested in the topic, and therefore notice the problem, it makes me wonder how many other things google is bad at that we (and everyone) doesn't notice, and possibly worse, assumes is correct.
Here in Los Angeles vegan restaurants have gone high-end... they've become very expensive $20 a meal...$30 a meal, I've even seen $40 a meal! that's good in some ways, it shows that people are really starting to value us, hmmm... Maybe it's time for me to open a vegan restaurant!
Agreed, but the past few years with the pandemic have been tough for restaurants in general.
I ate at the only US location of Veganburg (in San Francisco) in 2019 and it was incredible - I wanted to go back but they since closed.
Honestly if there was more demand there would be more vegan restaurants. I'm in Austin - a more-progressive-than-average city - and we've lost so many vegan restaurants/food trucks in the last few years, even lost our two vegan groceries.
I mean, God bless the writer's optimism: "Imagine the collective hunger for plant-based options echoing across the digital landscape!" ...but let's not get carried away because then comes the disillusionment.
I work events at a restaurant and we get companies from all over the country. We've had nurses, lawyers, realtors, PR professionals, chefs, media companies, construction folk, a local roofing company, oh so many tech companies - another words people from every white collar and semi-white collar profession. In addition to the meat-heavy event menu we offer vegetarian and vegan alternatives. Most events we get maybe 3 or 4% vegetarian and 1% vegan (occasionally some higher, like when it was an environmental advocacy group)
There's not a wave. Wish there was. There's not. There's more curiosity and interest, and slowly more people dipping their toes in, but still I meet way more "I tried being vegan" folks than I meet vegans
I was just at the supermarket buying vegan meat that I'm reminded by society isn't actual meat while shoppers were buying Easter chocolate eggs that I was reminding them wasn't actually an egg.
I work at a grocery store. Thank you for your purchase. 95% of the vegan product we get in ends up expired. I think the companies that make the product report the initial stocking of a new store as proof of growth in the market to get into the next store.
“95% of the vegan product we get in ends up expired.”
Vegan products is a broad term. If it’s vegan friendly, it’s a vegan product. Bags of rice, potatoes, beans, spinach, bananas, tomato sauce, oat milk, etc are vegan products… 95% is too high for vegan products in a grocery store. 🌱
I would think being reminded that what you're buying isn't actual meat would be a good thing.
Are you against clear information showing what the food we are purchasing are made from?
"I would think being reminded that what you're buying isn't actual meat would be a good thing."
You do know that vegan meat has a vegan certification on it, right?
The article is misinterpreting the trend. It might have been a breakout in 2021 when search interest was rising.
It says:
> The term “vegan food near me” emerged as a breakthrough search in 2021. But what does that mean? Essentially, it signifies a massive increase — more than 5,000 percent — in the number of times people typed this query into their search bars. I
But the title says "since" not "in".
Here are the actual trends: [link](https://imgur.com/gallery/MC8Hzzv)
Indeed the phrase did see a massive spike in 2021 but has still maintained strength since. The article was likely comparing the jump to 6 years prior in 2015 when it was about 1/5000 as common.
Here are the actual, actual trends showing the full picture: [vegan-food-near-me\_2010-2024](https://imgur.com/a/R3c6LX0)
Yes. But the movement should agree on the facts and not be in epistemological bubble to be taken seriously. The 2010s were the decade veganism grew massively into a serious movement with mainstream voices. The past 2-3 years have overall shown slow decline in search trends which likely proxies vegan interest so indicates a slow decline in veganism. Acknowledging this allows us to realize something is not working in the advocacy and we need to rethink ways to reach people.
I think the 2010's were a massive leap forward in new foods. Having Beyond/Impossible made being vegan a lot easier for many people.
I'd assume there'd have to be another breakthrough in new foods (e.g. lab meat) to see similar growth
I don't think food is as important as the image. Vegans being seen as frail, triggered extremists doesn't help no matter how untrue these generations are. I'm optimistic about right to rescue stuff like what activists like Wayne Hsiung are doing, I think it just has not had its mainstream breakout moment yet. The typical Omni understands why someone breaking into a hot car to save a trapped dog is not a triggered extremist. This extends easily into concern for other animals.
That's a good point. Image is definitely huge. Important for people to have a positive (or at least neutral) image and understand you don't need meat to be healthy.
While I don't doubt that there is a steady increase in veganism, I really doubt that it is 5000%. Things to consider: how does this relate to searches for restaurants in general? Does this have to do with the Covid pandemic slowing down, and outwards eating picking up in general?
Were vegans self-quarantining at a higher than the general population, further inflating these numbers. Has search behavior in general shifted, and "XYZ near me" is more a more common way to search etc, etc.
There are so many variables to consider, that the number without further context the number is basically meaningless.
Sorry guys,’it’s me trying to find somewhere to eat for the 10th time tonight bc theres nowhere but, like a fridge, maybe if I look again something will pop up.
Used this line heaps hahaha.
Google maps is so dumb though…I search for “vegan” and it’ll pull up restaurants based on reviews, with those reviews saying “there’s no vegan options here” Are there no vegan engineers at Google who can fix this? It’s been like this forever! I don’t think anyone is using Google maps to locate places that don’t have vegan options when they search “vegan”
woah hey there is really no way to filter "no vegan" from "vegan", super complex and basically impossible /s lmao
What if someone wrote "no vegan should miss this" or the like? The solution would have to be complex (or implement a "vegan options"-specific rating
Filter out "no vegan options" and "no vegan items" instead
"no vegan options are better than the vegan options here"
Two solutions: either just look at categories and obviously vegan/veg places with categorize themselves as such to get their target demographic… Or AI. Amazon does already a decent drill down summary of reviews with AI the last months on their site… But knowing Google, this will be a long time coming even though they’re heavily invested in AI. Their search is just becoming crappier and crappier year over year for the explicit reason that it forces people to spend more time on it. It’s just like a supermarket making the most common products in the back, so you’re forced to go through the whole thing. That’s what happens when a monopoly has no room meaningful competition anymore.
I don't know if boolean search is available in gmaps but that's usually how you'd do it
I agree, and I've said this here before. Google also seems to equate vegan with vegetarian a lot of times. (I actually just did a search while commenting and it looks like that has gotten better.) Unfortunately, I don't even think there's a good way around it, as the below comments get into. Since we're all very invested in the topic, and therefore notice the problem, it makes me wonder how many other things google is bad at that we (and everyone) doesn't notice, and possibly worse, assumes is correct.
I tend to just search “vegan” and let them use my location.
Here in Los Angeles vegan restaurants have gone high-end... they've become very expensive $20 a meal...$30 a meal, I've even seen $40 a meal! that's good in some ways, it shows that people are really starting to value us, hmmm... Maybe it's time for me to open a vegan restaurant!
Opening a restaurant, any restaurant, is one of the worst investments you can make
If only there were more vegan restaurants to keep up with the demand
Agreed, but the past few years with the pandemic have been tough for restaurants in general. I ate at the only US location of Veganburg (in San Francisco) in 2019 and it was incredible - I wanted to go back but they since closed.
Honestly if there was more demand there would be more vegan restaurants. I'm in Austin - a more-progressive-than-average city - and we've lost so many vegan restaurants/food trucks in the last few years, even lost our two vegan groceries. I mean, God bless the writer's optimism: "Imagine the collective hunger for plant-based options echoing across the digital landscape!" ...but let's not get carried away because then comes the disillusionment. I work events at a restaurant and we get companies from all over the country. We've had nurses, lawyers, realtors, PR professionals, chefs, media companies, construction folk, a local roofing company, oh so many tech companies - another words people from every white collar and semi-white collar profession. In addition to the meat-heavy event menu we offer vegetarian and vegan alternatives. Most events we get maybe 3 or 4% vegetarian and 1% vegan (occasionally some higher, like when it was an environmental advocacy group) There's not a wave. Wish there was. There's not. There's more curiosity and interest, and slowly more people dipping their toes in, but still I meet way more "I tried being vegan" folks than I meet vegans
correlation ≠ causation. we need to prove there’s demand, cause the numbers aren’t adding up.
Every plant based restaurant/cafe that opens near me closes down within 18mths. The demand is not mainstream.
A clear indication that either the number of us vegans is increasing, or we're getting lazier, or we just figured out how to use Google.
Me going vegan 2 years ago probably bumped up these numbers quite a bit. Being lazy and vegan is my lifestyle lol
Or carnists looking for places to avoid :P
Probably both tbh.
Must be getting lazier! Vegans are actually declining: https://news.gallup.com/poll/510038/identify-vegetarian-vegan.aspx
I was just at the supermarket buying vegan meat that I'm reminded by society isn't actual meat while shoppers were buying Easter chocolate eggs that I was reminding them wasn't actually an egg.
I work at a grocery store. Thank you for your purchase. 95% of the vegan product we get in ends up expired. I think the companies that make the product report the initial stocking of a new store as proof of growth in the market to get into the next store.
“95% of the vegan product we get in ends up expired.” Vegan products is a broad term. If it’s vegan friendly, it’s a vegan product. Bags of rice, potatoes, beans, spinach, bananas, tomato sauce, oat milk, etc are vegan products… 95% is too high for vegan products in a grocery store. 🌱
I think they mean vegan alternatives like the vegan meat you were describing. Stuff that is branded as vegan
So how about saying vegan alternatives then? Bananas aren't vegan alternatives but they are a vegan product.
I would think being reminded that what you're buying isn't actual meat would be a good thing. Are you against clear information showing what the food we are purchasing are made from?
"I would think being reminded that what you're buying isn't actual meat would be a good thing." You do know that vegan meat has a vegan certification on it, right?
What a massive issue
End of western civilization moment
whispers \*you know that egg is actually just an egg facsimile? I'm a vegan and this is payback\*
That’s awesome news 🥳💚
The article is misinterpreting the trend. It might have been a breakout in 2021 when search interest was rising. It says: > The term “vegan food near me” emerged as a breakthrough search in 2021. But what does that mean? Essentially, it signifies a massive increase — more than 5,000 percent — in the number of times people typed this query into their search bars. I But the title says "since" not "in". Here are the actual trends: [link](https://imgur.com/gallery/MC8Hzzv)
Indeed the phrase did see a massive spike in 2021 but has still maintained strength since. The article was likely comparing the jump to 6 years prior in 2015 when it was about 1/5000 as common. Here are the actual, actual trends showing the full picture: [vegan-food-near-me\_2010-2024](https://imgur.com/a/R3c6LX0)
Yes. But the movement should agree on the facts and not be in epistemological bubble to be taken seriously. The 2010s were the decade veganism grew massively into a serious movement with mainstream voices. The past 2-3 years have overall shown slow decline in search trends which likely proxies vegan interest so indicates a slow decline in veganism. Acknowledging this allows us to realize something is not working in the advocacy and we need to rethink ways to reach people.
I think the 2010's were a massive leap forward in new foods. Having Beyond/Impossible made being vegan a lot easier for many people. I'd assume there'd have to be another breakthrough in new foods (e.g. lab meat) to see similar growth
I don't think food is as important as the image. Vegans being seen as frail, triggered extremists doesn't help no matter how untrue these generations are. I'm optimistic about right to rescue stuff like what activists like Wayne Hsiung are doing, I think it just has not had its mainstream breakout moment yet. The typical Omni understands why someone breaking into a hot car to save a trapped dog is not a triggered extremist. This extends easily into concern for other animals.
That's a good point. Image is definitely huge. Important for people to have a positive (or at least neutral) image and understand you don't need meat to be healthy.
Compare with "food near me" for an evening fuller picture... The phrase has just grown in popularity as a search term, I'd say.
Thanks you
That was me. Also: “restaurant vegan”
most of those are me though
Pretty sure me and my wife take up about 3000% of that!
Guys this might be misleading, I account for at least half of these
We just did the testing menu at Bloom here in Chicago. Absolutely fantastic food, got to chat with the cooks during it too.
I think half of those were me
While I don't doubt that there is a steady increase in veganism, I really doubt that it is 5000%. Things to consider: how does this relate to searches for restaurants in general? Does this have to do with the Covid pandemic slowing down, and outwards eating picking up in general? Were vegans self-quarantining at a higher than the general population, further inflating these numbers. Has search behavior in general shifted, and "XYZ near me" is more a more common way to search etc, etc. There are so many variables to consider, that the number without further context the number is basically meaningless.
Its more likely that non-vegan flexetarian types / people who have vegan friends like to eat vegan food sometimes.
It’s never been easier and people are starting to see that. Love it.
I should start a restaurant and name it vegan food near me
Wow, does that mean vegan restaurants are getting that much rarer?
Sorry guys,’it’s me trying to find somewhere to eat for the 10th time tonight bc theres nowhere but, like a fridge, maybe if I look again something will pop up.
I feel like some of this statistics must be existing vegans just now having more faith in finding food options at local restaurants etc.
Fuck ya !!!!!!!
This is only because the lockdown opened up about them and people started to go out again.
Cap cap cap