Fayetteville's vegan eateries doubled this year. What's next for the plant-based trend?

Plant-based eating has taken root in Fayetteville, and the movement seems to be growing.

Two vegan eateries opened in the city this year. The Vegan Spot, a pizzeria and comfort food restaurant that grew out of a food truck by the same name, opened on Murchison Road in January. Cinnaholic, a vegan chain bakery, opened about a month later on Skibo Road.

And those aren’t the only places to get vegan fare in the ‘Ville. Fayetteville’s first vegan restaurant, Vibe Gastropub, opened downtown in the summer of 2022. A few months later, the vegan and vegetarian restaurant Back to the Root opened in Westwood Shopping Center.

The growing number of vegan dining options in Fayetteville and across the country makes sense, given that Google searches for “vegan food near me” saw a 5,000% increase in the last three years, HR News reported earlier this month.

And while the percentage of Americans who identify as vegan dropped from 3% in 2018 to 1% in 2023, nearly a quarter of Americans say they reduced their meat consumption in 2023, Gallup reports.

Experts say that Black Americans are the face of the vegan movement. African Americans are more than twice as likely to identify as vegan compared to the general population, according to a 2016 survey from Pew Research Center.

Some say the promotion of a plant-based lifestyle by hip-hop titans like Jay-Z, members of the Wu-Tang Clan and Snoop Dogg have helped pave the way.

Yoniara Montoya, who owns The Vegan Spot in Fayetteville’s historically Black corridor with her husband, Robert Harris, said African Americans are drawn to veganism for its health benefits.

“Our communities are making themselves more aware of the benefits of vegan food to heal chronic illness such as heart disease, strokes, cancers and diabetes,” she explained. “Because those are higher in Black Americans.”

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Montoya said she came to veganism in 2019 after an acute heart failure diagnosis spurred a search for natural remedies. Before long, she was able to ditch her heart medication, she said.

Montoya said that through her food truck and now the restaurant, familiar foods made with plant-based ingredients have inspired customers to dabble in a vegan diet — and those practicing veganism often experience increased energy and more connectedness to nature, she said.

People are more willing to try vegan food than in the past, Montoya said, thanks to social media. Recipe videos from personalities like Tabitha Brown and vegan versions of foods culturally significant to Black Americans, like oxtail and macaroni and cheese, have gained traction online.

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Despite Fayetteville's increase in vegan dining options, the vegan social scene is lacking, Montoya said.

She moderates a private vegan Facebook group, From Beef to Beans, which has about 100 members. There are other small local vegan Facebook groups, but none seem to have more than a few hundred members or be very active.

In the summers of 2018 and 2019, there was a vegan festival in downtown Fayetteville, but it hasn’t returned since.

That’s all about to change, Montoya said, with a nonprofit she has in the works to promote veganism in Fayetteville.

She and Harris plan to launch Plant Based ‘N Poppin this summer, which will distribute plant-based food to families in need, educate communities about the benefits of veganism, advocate for animal and human rights and bring vegan festivals and events to the city.

“We want to join forces with all of the vegan community,” she said.

Food, dining and culture reporter Taylor Shook can be reached at tshook@gannett.com or on Facebook. Want weekly food news delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the Fayetteville Foodies newsletter. 

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Vegan restaurants, bakery see growth in Fayetteville, NC