In an update, fellow co-founder Mikey Pearce said the move to adopt a ‘whole food approach’ follows a ‘tough year’ for the London-based group, describing it as a ‘business decision’ made to ‘protect jobs and protect the company’.
Appearing with Bowditch in a video posted to Instagram, Pearce said: “We’ve had a really tough, tough year. We’ve had to work incredibly hard, and the proposition of the brand that we have to change is going from 100% plant-based menu to a much more whole food approach catering for everyone.”
Bowditch agreed that the decision would give Clean Kitchen Club the opportunity to make more revenue, but said that while she would continue to support the business she could no longer be part of it.
“I’m so passionate about animal welfare, I can’t physically be part of something that isn’t fully plant-based,” she said.
“As emotional as it is to be walking away from something we’ve built for the last three years together, it just does not sit right for me, and I have to be true to my values and what I believe in.”
Clean Kitchen Club started out life in 2020 as a delivery-only brand before moving into bricks and mortar in 2021.
The group’s estate has subsequently fluctuated in size and previously included sites in Notting Hill and Wembley.
It currently operates permanent locations in Battersea Power Station (BPS) and Camden, alongside a dark kitchen in Soho.
Clean Kitchen Club’s decision to pivot away from being a plant based-only brand is reflective of a wider trend of vegan-focused restaurants repositioning their concept in order to secure the long-term viability of their businesses.
They include Manchester-based vegan restaurant Nomas Gastrobar, which announced back in January that it would be introducing ‘a thoughtfully curated selection of high-quality, responsibly sourced meat and dairy options’ to its menu in a bid to bring in more custom.
