Le Pain Quotidien bolsters vegan offering
The move follows the Belgium-founded brand’s UK arm, which was rescued from administration last year, becoming a member of the Sustainable Restaurant Association’s Food Made Good programme.
To encourage customer take up of vegan options, a new loyalty app is launching with a points-based saving system that will offer double points for vegan purchases.
Vegan bakery items include cookies and brownies while breakfast items including ‘The VLT Bun’ (marinated organic tempeh, avocado, garlic aioli, ‘Parmesan’, plum tomato and baby gem in sweet potato brioche).
New vegan all-day menu items include lentil and roast tomato dhal with baby spinach, pumpkin seeds and coconut yoghurt; and ‘Chilli Sin Carne’ with butternut squash, soya yoghurt and guacamole.
Le Pain Quotidien will also introduce several initiatives to tackle waste including sending pulp from juices to a company which turns it into renewable energy; recycling nearly all waste; and offering coffee grounds to customers to use in their garden, for their skincare or to clean kitchen utensils.
The 16-strong chain will also move away from single-use plastic items, including straws and coffee cup lids, to biodegradable/paper alternatives, use menus made from recycled paper and will choose ‘local’ ingredients from suppliers such as Cobble Lane, Karma Cola, Shipton Mill and Snowdonia Cheese.
“As a business and bakery, Le Pain Quotidien is always looking for ways to protect the environment, reduce their footprint and give back to the community and its customers," says head of marketing UK Jana Somon.
"Together with the SRA, Le Pain Quotidien will be looking at ways they can become more sustainable, and help its customers be sustainable too.”
Le Pain Quotidien recently appointed Steven Whibley, formerly of Gail’s Bakery and an original franchisee of Le Pain Quotidien UK, as managing director.
