Fast food has a bad rap and vegan food is seen as tasteless and boring but Veganburg a new restaurant in Singapore is changing these perceptions. Director Alex Tan explains why a vegan lifestyle is not only hip, cool and healthy, but also tasty.

What made you set up Veganburg?

I’ve been a vegetarian for more than a decade and I always felt something was missing. A plant-based diet can be a lot more fun and interesting and there’s no better time than now. The global warming situation is urgent and livestock farming is a major contribution.

You say in your marketing materials you’re more than a fast food revolution. What do you mean by that?
It’s more than a fast food revolution because people not only have a brand new choice of fast food, there’s also a brand new lifestyle alternative – a healthy and responsible diet choice – where the world is going to be a better place just because of this.


Who is your target customer?
The health conscious, green conscious and younger generation.

What’s so unique about your menu?
It’s truly wholesome. We serve organic burger buns with GMO free patties. Everything is entirely egg free and dairy fee. We add seaweed fries for that comfort touch and a range of fruit juices with no preservatives and no added sugar to replace the usual carbonated drinks.

Which is your favourite burger and why?
The burgers are each designed with a special sauce to suit different moods and cravings so it depends on my mood for the day. If I really had to choose one it’d be Cracked Pepper Mayo.


Your tagline says ‘Once Bitten, Twice Wise!’ Twice wise to what?
Wise about how good a vegan meal can taste. Wise about how easy it is to make a contribution to planet earth just by choosing a plant-based diet. Wise about how nutritious a vegan diet can be. More than twice wise in fact.

What inspired the design of the restaurant space?
I wanted it to be a place where I felt relaxed and comfortable, a place with lots of greens so I felt a connection with nature. I also wanted it to be vibrant and energetic so decided on this industrial/safari/modern theme.

What do you see as the main issues currently affecting people’s wellbeing?
Unfortunately most businesses are driven by lower cost and higher profits with little emphasis on social responsibility and few alternatives for consumers to buy responsibly. People though are becoming more aware of the compromise of quality as a consequence of food industrialisation. They’re also becoming aware of what’s happening to our planet and are ready to make a change for it.

This is a new post by David Report contributor Kristina Dryza.