Community Highlights: Meet Tanya Barnett of Midtown Vegan Deli and Market

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tanya Barnett.

Hi Tanya, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers. 
I decided to open the deli after taking a deep dive into factory farming and learning about the impact animal agriculture has on the planet. 

I know that the single biggest impact that we can have on the planet is through our food choices, so I wanted to open a restaurant that provides great vegan food and can help show meat eaters that vegan food can be good. We focus on being inclusive and celebrate meat eaters willing to give vegan food a try. We offer 10% off discounts for meat eaters on Mondays and make comfort food that everyone will enjoy. 

We will have been open for two years on March 1st and have come a long way in a short time. We started out with only 3 items on the menu and built it out every day while getting input from customers and staff. We now have an expansive menu with over 20 items. 

Our goal is to expand and have a Midtown in every large city in the US and continue to encourage meat eaters to eat more vegan meals. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The first year was extremely hard. I was originally supposed to have business partners, but that partnership dissolved within the first 30 days of signing our lease, so I was quickly left on my own to get everything done. Luckily, we had some amazing staff and a support system of friends and local chefs that came to help out. 

Never having worked in the industry before was a challenge all on its own. I had to learn the entire industry as I went, and there were a lot of fails along the way. I always had faith that as long as we led with the food, everything else would fall into place, and it has. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Midtown Vegan Deli and Market?
At Midtown Vegan Deli, our goal is to help save the animals and the planet one delicious meal at a time. We care about all living beings and provide a safe, welcome space for all. We don’t judge, we encourage. We believe in sourcing locally when we can and minimizing our footprint on this planet. We believe that everyone can do better and be better, and we hope that our little deli will inspire you to make that journey. 

What sets us apart is our mission. We are doing our best to help save the planet… From our fully vegan menu to our eco-friendly to-go containers and our composting and recycling practices, we work harder than most other restaurants to do right by the planet. 

We are proud of our menu and our mission. We constantly get rave reviews from our meat eater customers and are making an impact on our community. 

We want readers to know that we are worth the visit! Let us show you what good vegan food can taste like! If everyone on the planet just ate vegan one day a week, we could turn around climate dysfunction. 

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I think vegan food is going to continue growing exponentially over the next 5-10 years. Every day more and more people are starting to open their eyes to factory farming and the impact of animal agriculture, and I think that will lead to a big shift in people’s diets. Once people realize that food can taste just as good and be just as affordable without the death…. why would they choose death? 

There have been some amazing advances in the vegan meat and cheese area especially… burgers taste just as good or better than a hamburger… cheese that are rich and flavorful and made from cashews. It’s an amazing time to be vegan and it’s an amazing time to be able to share great vegan food. 

Contact Info:

• Website: midtownvegandeli.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midtownvegandeliandmarket/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/midtownvegandeli

Image Credits
DeathFreeFoodie
Kim Johnson