The “Veto Vote” Loses You the Table

Here is a scenario that happens every Sunday morning in family WhatsApp groups across the UK. A group of 6 wants to book a roast. 5 of them are carnivores. They don’t care where they go, as long as there is beef. 1 of them is a vegetarian (or vegan). They look at your menu. They see “Nut Roast (V).” They sigh. They look at the competitor’s menu. The competitor has a “Wild Mushroom & Truffle Wellington.” The vegetarian says: “Let’s go to the other place.”

You didn’t just lose one vegetarian cover. You lost the table of six.

The vegetarian holds the “Veto Vote.” If your meat-free option is an afterthought—a dry, crumbling puck of nuts and lentils—you are bleeding revenue. In 2025, the vegetarian option isn’t a “concession”; it is a competitive weapon.

The Philosophy: The “Halo Effect”

Rory Sutherland would tell you that the quality of your vegetarian option acts as a signal for the quality of your entire kitchen. If you treat the vegetables with respect, the customer assumes you treat the meat with respect. If you serve a microwaved frozen lasagne or a bland nut roast, you signal laziness.

You need to apply Seth Godin’s “Purple Cow” theory. A Nut Roast is a brown cow. It’s boring. It’s invisible. A Whole Roasted Celeriac with Miso Glaze or a Beetroot & Goats Cheese Wellington is a Purple Cow. It is remarkable. You want the meat-eaters to look at the vegetarian plate and say, “Damn, I wish I’d ordered that.”

The Tactics: Move Beyond the Nut Roast

Stop serving bird food. Here are three commercial-grade, high-margin alternatives that will win the Veto Vote.

1. The “Wellington” Strategy (High Perceived Value) The psychology of a roast is “The Slice.” People want to see a slice of something on their plate.

• The Dish: Wild Mushroom, Spinach & Chestnut Wellington.
• Why it works: It mimics the visual language of a Beef Wellington. It looks premium. It holds the gravy. It creates a “centrepiece.”
• Operational Win: You can batch prep these on Saturday. They hold perfectly in the fridge. On Sunday, you just egg-wash and bake. Zero stress.

2. The “Whole Vegetable” Roast (High Margin) Vegetables are cheap. Labor is the value-add.

• The Dish: Whole Roasted Celeriac or Cauliflower Steak.
• The Method: Rub a whole celeriac in oil, thyme, and sea salt. Roast it low and slow for 3 hours until it cuts like butter. Slice it into thick “steaks.” Pan-fry to caramelise before serving.
• The Cost: A celeriac costs £1. You get 4 portions. That is 25p per portion. Sell it for £16. The GP is astronomical.

3. The “Umami” Gravy (The Secret Weapon) Most vegetarian gravy is essentially salty brown water.

• The Fix: You need Umami.
• Use dried Porcini mushrooms (soaked), Marmite, Soy Sauce, and Caramelised Onions.
• Make a gravy so deep and rich that the meat-eaters can’t tell the difference.
• Operational Tip: If you make all your gravy vegetarian (and it’s good enough), you save having two separate pots on the stove. (Controversial, but many top gastropubs do this).

4. The Yorkshire Pudding Divide If you aren’t serving a Yorkie with the veggie roast, you are ripping them off.

• The Fix: You must have a Vegetarian batter (oil, not beef dripping).
• Ensure they are cooked in a separate tray. Cross-contamination is a rookie error that gets you 1-star reviews.

The Software Pitch: The 90% GP Dish

The beauty of the vegetarian roast is the margin. Beef runs at 50-60% GP if you aren’t careful. A Vegetable Wellington runs at 85-90% GP.

You want people to order this. You should be pushing it.

You need the Roast Forecaster.

This tool helps you model the impact of the “Veto Vote.”

• It calculates the cost of your Veggie Option down to the penny.
• It shows you how shifting just 10% of your sales from Beef to Veggie Wellington transforms your overall Sunday profit.
• It helps you prep the right amount, so you aren’t throwing away expensive puff pastry on Monday morning.

Don’t treat the vegetarian as a second-class citizen. Treat them as your most profitable customer.

👉 Get the tool here: https://smartpubtools.com/sunday-roast-forecaster/

The Conclusion

The days of the “stuffed pepper” are over. Create a vegetarian main course that stands tall. Make it structural. Make it savoury. Win the vegetarian, and you win the booking.