Simply Asia Restaurant Franchise Honoured with National Award for Plant-Based Friendliness

With Quick-Service Restaurants [QSRs] feeding more households in South Africa than ever before, food-awareness organisation ProVeg has mapped and positioned popular chains according to plant-based friendliness for their 2024 Fast-Food Report.  

This being the third annual edition of the ranking, it reflects the continued growth of plant-based options in QSRs in South Africa, in line with the overall growth of the national fast-food industry which has seen a 41% increase in turnover from takeaways and fast-food outlets compared to 2019. The winner of this year’s Plant-Based Fast-Food Ranking in South Africa is Thai-chain Simply Asia, and on Monday 11 November ProVeg held an awards ceremony for the company at their Seapoint branch to a select audience of plant-based advocates, food influencers and media. Moving up from second place in 2023, the franchise excels with its plant-based menu, offering a wide range of options that span different meal categories. Simply Asia also leads the way in terms of labelling and menu presentation, seamlessly integrating plant-based options into their overall menu in order to cater to all consumers.

Said Wikus Engelbrecht, Communications Manager for ProVeg South Africa, “We’re here to celebrate a victory for the plant-based industry. Amid reports of an international decline of vegan options the ProVeg Plant-Based Friendly Fast Food report of 2024 showed that among the three top-performing QSRs in our country in this year’s report there are 31 vegan main meal options alone. That’s up from 29 in 2023, and 25 in 2022. So the rumours of the demise of veganism are greatly exaggerated.” 

“In the distant history of around 20 years ago when I personally went vegan there were almost no options [in South Africa] whatsoever, especially in the restaurant setting. Shifts in the marketplace are an evolution and not a revolution, therefore in the fullness of time things are looking positive and progressive for plant-based consumers, internationally and right here at home,” he continued.   

Donovan Will, ProVeg South Africa Country Director went on, “When I went plant-based just over ten years ago it was difficult to find plant-based food in South Africa. ProVeg is trying to create a world where people eat healthy and delicious food that’s good for all humans, the planet and the animals. And unfortunately it’s difficult to convince people sometimes to even try these options, and one of the reasons why we wanted to focus on the big franchises is that it’s an amazing opportunity for people to sample good plant-based food in an environment that is easy and convenient. One of the big misconceptions about plant-based food is that it’s expensive, but if we look at the pricing on the Simply Asia menu it’s clear that people are not paying anything extra for these options.” 

He continued, “What really excites us about how they’ve created their menu is that they haven’t gone with an option of saying let’s create something completely separate for the vegans and hope that it sticks. They’ve stuck to what their brand represents and taken great Thai food and just made options available for everyone.”  

On behalf of Simply Asia, Marketing Manager Juliette Montague-Fryer said, “This recognition holds a really special significance for us as it reflects our commitment to inclusivity and our dedication to providing a diverse range of choices for all our guests. Thai cuisine is renowned for its diversity, adaptability and vibrant flavours. At Simply Asia we are proud to offer dishes that can be tailored to individual tastes and dietary preferences, while still honouring the authenticity of Thai cuisine and tradition. Our plant-based options are crafted with the same dedication to quality allowing our customers to experience the bold, balanced and fresh taste of Thai food that you can experience throughout Thailand.”

“Looking towards the future we’re excited to continue innovating and expanding our plant-based menu, remaining true to our values and the evolving needs of our customers, “ she concluded. 

Guests in attendance at the ceremony were treated to a generous assortment of plant-based options from Simply Asia after the trophy handover. 

Simply Asia has about 56 branches throughout South Africa, with imminent plans to open more. Adding to the accumulation of accolades, they recently won the Best of Joburg award in the category Best Asian Restaurant. Speaking on the substance of winning the ProVeg Plant-Based Fast-Food Award, Juliette Montague-Fryer noted that this achievement would help persuade their franchisees to retain present plant-based options on their menus and possibly add more in the future.

In celebration of their plant-based victory, and in partnership with ProVeg, Simply Asia is offering a prize give-away of a year’s supply of food orders to one lucky winner in South Africa, worth approximately R13,000. The winner will be credited with the amount of R250 in the Simply Asia App every week for a calendar year, which can be accumulated. To enter, customers need to order a vegan Simply Asia meal either at one of their restaurants or via a delivery app, share a photo of the dish on their Instagram while following and tagging both ProVeg South Africa and Simply Asia’s accounts. For an additional entry tag two friends. The competition is open from November 19th until December 17th. 

ProVeg South Africa invites members of the press to engage with its representatives regarding the plant-based marketplace and the fast-food report, with an offer of a buffet catering as a showcase to media featuring menu items from Simply Asia and other top-ranked restaurants, such as Kauai and Panarottis. 

Link to event highlights video here. 

Link to full event video here. 

ENDS

Media Contact

ProVeg South Africa – Wikus Engelbrecht – Communications Manager: [email protected]; +27 64 172 0120

About ProVeg South Africa:

ProVeg South Africa is the local branch of ProVeg International. ProVeg is an international food awareness organisation working to transform the global food system by replacing conventional animal-based products with plant-based and cultured alternatives.

ProVeg works with international decision-making bodies, governments, food producers, investors, the media, and the general public to help the world transition to a society and economy that are less dependent on animal agriculture and more sustainable for humans, animals, and the planet.