The founder of Vegan Sandwich Co. is hoping to fulfil his dream of meeting Bake off Judge Prue Leith following his company’s nomination for the UberEats UK and Ireland Restaurant of the Year award.
The Smithfield enterprise, which offers customers a wide range of vegan lunch options, started off as a market stall in 2019 and currently has two locations in Smithfield and Stephen’s Green.
There are 10 nominees in the Irish category of the competition. The Irish winner will then be eligible to compete for a whopping £100,000 (€116,900) prize in front of a judging panel that Leith will sit on.
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Sam Pearson, creator of Vegan Sandwich Co, says that the restaurant had a stressful start, with their first premises opening on a takeaway basis during the challenging days of lockdown. He was delighted to secure a nomination for the award.
“If we win, we would get to represent Ireland on an international scale, which would truly be mindblowing. There would be photos I would cherish to the end of time of Prue Leith holding a vegan chicken fillet roll. I would be the happiest man alive,” he admits.
The Vegan Sandwich Co is the only Irish entry that offers customers a full vegan menu. Sam quickly realised how sought after vegan produce is when serving at a market stall in the 2019 Stoneybatter Festival.
“It was raining for the entire day and we had a queue of people across the road with their umbrellas and raincoats waiting. I think it was clear from that day how much demand there was for just a really nice vegan lunchtime option,” Sam adds.
A Bord Bia study published in 2021 estimated that approximately 2 per cent of the Irish population is vegan. A further 16 per cent adhere to a flexitarian diet in which they include vegetarian or vegan dishes routinely in their eating habits. These trends are reflected in the restaurant’s clientele; Sam says that they have many customers who themselves are not vegan, but enjoy the food and want to try out alternatives to meat and dairy.
The company is also currently on track to set up a third location in the upstairs of the Swan Centre Rathmines, which will open later this summer.
Above all, Sam is delighted that the hard work of the Vegan Sandwich Co’s team has paid off.
“Anyone saying our food is nice, that’s warming to the soul. To be recognised on a platform that is across the UK and Ireland alongside some businesses that I’ve admired for a long time, I’m on top of the world.”
The full list of Irish nominees for UberEats Restaurant of the Year is available at ubereatsawards.com.
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