About us
Started by restaurant people, for restaurant people.
Based in San Diego, the Compassionate Menu Project grew out of years spent on the floor of real restaurants: greeting guests, hearing their requests and watching what kept tables coming back.
Our story
From the dining room to your kitchen.
Our founder spent more than 16 years managing the front of house at restaurants in San Diego. Night after night, the same thing happened: groups would walk in because one friend was vegan, then every one of them would leave a fan of the food.
That experience showed us something simple. Guests don't need to be convinced to love plant-based dishes. They just need a great one on the menu. Many restaurants want to offer that, but don't know where to start, which ingredients to buy or how to fit it into a busy kitchen.
That's where our team comes in. Alongside our founder's years in the dining room, we work with an experienced plant-based chef who knows how to turn a restaurant's best-loved dishes into plant-based versions that taste just as good, using ingredients your kitchen can easily get. Together, we'll help you every step of the way, from new dish ideas and recipe testing to sourcing and training your kitchen staff.
So we started the Compassionate Menu Project to make it easy. We work alongside owners and chefs to add plant-based dishes that fit their style, at no cost and with no strings attached.
“The best part of the job was watching a whole table find something they all loved.”
What we believe
Our values
Kindness, made easy
Every plant-based plate served spares animals. We make choosing compassion as simple as ordering lunch.
Your kitchen, your style
We never ask you to change who you are. We help you build on the dishes and flavors you already do best.
Good for business
Plant-based options bring new guests, bigger groups and loyal regulars. Kindness and a full dining room go together.
Let's make your menu a little kinder.
Tell us about your restaurant and we'll set up a friendly menu walk-through.