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“You need to open a restaurant.” Elizabeth Anderson, Co Founder and Executive Chef of Vegan Food House, heard this constantly from her husband as she cooked vegan meals at home. At the time, Dallas lacked flavorful vegan options, with most places relying heavily on mock meats and seitan, which she adds, “you have to be really good to make taste good.”
The market was ready. “The first day we opened, it was crazy,” Anderson remembers. “People were feeling the same thing.” What started as one location has since grown into multiple restaurants, bringing Creole-inspired Southern vegan cuisine to the Bishop Arts neighborhood.
Menu innovation drives revenue
Anderson’s approach to vegan cuisine goes beyond making simple substitutions. The restaurant’s OG Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese Sammich is a fried oyster mushroom creation that comes with macaroni and cheese, buffalo sauce, and a smoky aioli. This item has been a staple since day one. But it was during COVID-19 pandemic that menu innovation really took off. “We started making more comfort plates and adding more vegetables,” Anderson explains. “People were really looking for comfort food at that time.”
I lean on Square pretty heavy for all the information as to what’s going on in the business. It takes the guesswork out of a lot of things. We see clearly what the top sellers are through our Square app.”
Elizabeth Anderson → Vegan Food House Co Founder and Executive Chef
Perhaps their biggest success came unexpectedly. Anderson entered a contest with MAPP, a group supporting women in culinary arts. Her vegan ricotta and bruschetta combination won against non-vegan competitors. Now, this award-winning ricotta stars in their most popular dish, fried lasagna. “We are constantly prepping more and more lasagna,” she says. “Our biggest seller really is our pastas right now.”
Adapting through challenges
As costs rise and consumer spending habits shift, the restaurant has strategically adapted their business model. They’ve expanded their hours and menu offerings, introducing lunch service to capture additional revenue streams while maintaining their price points through careful menu planning.
What makes the restaurant resilient is its broad appeal. “It’s really a mix,” Anderson explains about its customer base. While some might expect a vegan restaurant to serve only a niche audience, Vegan Food House attracts everyone from regular neighborhood diners to restaurant industry veterans. One local restaurant owner, who runs several steakhouses, comes in every Sunday for the shrimp po’ boy. “I don’t know why he does it. I should probably ask,” Anderson laughs.
This diverse clientele speaks to the restaurant’s success in making vegan food accessible to everyone. “Good food doesn’t have ethnicities,” Anderson notes. “If you have good food, I think it is one of the pleasures of life and I think good food will do a lot everywhere.”
From restaurant to retail
While some restaurants focus on opening new locations, Anderson is taking a different approach to growth. Her vision considers bringing Vegan Food House’s most popular elements to retail, particularly their sauces. “I think I make some of the best vegan Caesar dressing out there,” she adds, noting how customers frequently ask to buy it.
The transition from restaurant to retail isn’t simple. Their current sauces are made from scratch, and shelf stability presents new challenges. “It is very fresh. So having to make it or get it bottled through a company and it’s got to be shelf stable,” Anderson explains. She acknowledges some compromises might be necessary but is determined to maintain quality.
Beyond sauces, Anderson is also working on a Vegan Food House cookbook. Rather than rushing to open new locations, she’s focused on thoughtfully expanding the brand’s reach while preserving what makes their food special. For Anderson, success isn’t just about growth. It’s about creating lasting memories through food. “I’ve seen people expand way too fast and not doing the real research about the markets they’re going into, where they’re putting their businesses,” she explains. It’s this measured approach that has helped Vegan Food House thrive.
