Most organizations rely on sophisticated customer relationship management (CRM) tools to manage their orders and revenue and organize business flows.

Implementing CRM solutions modernize sales processes for organizations and improve their customer experience by empowering salespeople to accelerate the sales cycle and get more control over opportunities.

Organizations are well aware of the fact that the right CRM tool can completely transform their sales workflow and accelerate productivity which is why many organizations have a CRM tool. Unfortunately, investment in a CRM alone doesnt equal broad user adoption.

According to CSO Insights, only 40% of businesses claim a 90% CRM adoption rate, while the majority of businesses struggle to encourage system adoption. We can conclude that implementing a CRM system in your organization will not always lead to a success story.

To turn the tables around, organizations need to get to the root cause of this failure, that is, low user adoption. The sad truth is that even with the aim of improving efficiency and productivity, the CRM projects often fail to translate into real-world usage by the people most likely to benefit from them.

Ineffective use of CRM can mismanage customer relationships, fail to capture important data and insights, or even lead to a loss of potential customers leaving unfavorable consequences on your business.

The CRM adoption challenge is difficult to tackle as its not just one problem, its a series of problems that feed into each other and create a vicious never-ending cycle.

We know that data is the lifeblood of every business, but for it to be of any value to the company it is critical for a salesperson to input, store, and update accurate data as well as ensure data quality and integrity.

For instance, after a prospect is discovered, a sales representative has to fill in its detailed info into the CRM and the same process has to be repeated after each interaction. Logging emails, phone calls, and recording meeting details become a major part of a sales reps daily routine which adds a lot of manual data entry tasks to their work which might complicate their job and drive them away from adopting the software.

This is where the vicious cycle begins - sales teams fail to see the CRM value right off the bat causing them to put in a very little effort in the data entry stage. Entering the data manually into the CRM is just a workplace drudgery for them. According to HubSpot, manual data entry tops the list of CRM adoption challenges and around 32% of sales reps spend over an hour on data entry every day which, lets face it, is not a very good use of their time.

Experts say that salespeople are reluctant to put in the manual effort as they think that the CRM solution is a way of controlling them and is a digital evidence that could be used against them in case they fail to reach their goals. Another reason for their resistance could be the complex interface of the application and lack of practical training which leaves them intimidated by the system.

With a decreased effort, the sales team might input low-quality data or leave out essential data points, causing the CRM to be powered by poor, inaccurate data. Poor data quality can become a huge overhead for companies. In fact, organizations believe that poor data quality is responsible for an average of $15 million loss per year.

Inadequate data makes the CRM system less valuable thereby decreasing its usage among the employees. The poor data also leads to poor insights that provide very little value to the sales and business development teams. This is a huge problem for management as well, since, without the data, a manager cant run reports or conduct analytics on those reports. And without the analytics, they fail to answer critical business questions. So the whole point of having a CRM in the first place is actually lost.

With little insight being gained from the inadequate data, the CRM will reinforce the sales team to believe that theres nothing in it for them. The cycle continues to repeat itself leaving them to grow more and more disinterested in the tool. Its not hard to see how this cycle can affect the CRM adoption rates. Most companies dont fully consider user adoption issues while planning a CRM project but it is critical for them to build a strong adoption strategy from the very beginning and keep it in focus throughout the CRM lifetime.

To break this vicious cycle of adoption, it is important to understand the challenges and then figure out the suitable solutions. So here are some of the most critical challenges of CRM user adoption.

Most CRM platforms are tailored according to the requirements of sales managers and leaders since they are the key decision-makers in purchase decisions. So to get the deals finalized, suppliers optimize the CRM features that are most suitable for the decision-makers, mainly pertaining to reporting, pipeline visibility, or forecasting. The result of this optimization is that ease of use is compromised, making the CRMs too cumbersome for sales reps to adopt.

Also, the decision-makers do not really understand the real value of the CRM tools and focus more on spending as little as possible. Hence, the CRM might not end up mirroring how sales reps actually wanted to execute the sales process but they are still expected to adopt the tool effectively. In most cases, almost no effort is made from the organizations to make users aware of the tool background or show them how and why it can help them achieve their KPIs. As a result, the moment they feel uncertain about how to use the tool, they fall back to the traditional methods of getting things done.

The less understanding users have about the benefits of the CRM, the more resistant they are towards the change. Its a sum-total of all this dissatisfaction that tends to impact the user adoption rates.

Businesses rely on certain tools like email or spreadsheets to run a wide variety of day-to-day processes. These tools are the center of gravity that define the workflows for a company. When a CRM is introduced, it often ends up competing against these tools for the similar tasks.

A CRM is implemented to achieve more consolidated communication and less use of spreadsheets. Failing to achieve these results can be an indication that the team is not using the CRM at the optimum level.

Since employees have been stuck with the old methods for a very long time, they feel comfortable in entering the data into the old, familiar spreadsheets, rather than putting additional effort to learn entering data into the new CRM. Most employees prefer traditional methods of getting things done. Another reason for people going back to the traditional methods could be the lack of on-the-go training on how to navigate through the complex interface of a CRM.

Instead of investing in customization and training processes, most companies simply purchase the software and ask the employees to figure it out themselves and expect them to start working right away.

As a result, employees are forced to navigate their way through the complex system, leaving them overwhelmed with the number of steps and features, again forcing them to switch to old methods. They would rather pull data from different sources and work with spreadsheets to make reports because it seems easier than navigating through the complicated CRM that doesn't provide the right training.

Even if some companies take initiatives to develop training programs for their employees to improve adoption rates, the challenge here is that the traditional system education methods arent suited for the digital world anymore. These methods are only setting the company up for failure. Lets see why:

How an organization decides to rollout a change can either make or break the user adoption efforts. If the organization fails to convey the whats in it for you factor to the users, it might lead to low accountability to use the tool. First impressions matter the most, and if the staffs first experience with a new CRM fails to meet their needs, people lose confidence in the capability of the software.

Even if the organization tries to make improvements, it would still be a huge challenge to actually change peoples minds and push them to accept the change because they will always hold the first impression in their minds.

In an ideal world, the CRM would have a "guru" who is an expert, a cheerleader, and a 24/7 point of contact for any issues faced by the users. But lets face it, the world is not ideal and the guru doesnt exit. Organizations mostly do not focus on supporting the new software users once the product is implemented which discourages the employees from adopting it.

Organizations fail to understand that a CRM is not a set it and forget it system as it is likely to release new features on a regular basis hence a constant promotion and support is required throughout its lifecycle. For instance, if a CRM admin needs to add custom objects for better report visibility, without the post-implementation support and lack of testing skills, the admin would modify the solution without checking if the objects reflect the necessary data and increase report visibility. This could lead to wrong data output.

Employees will always have queries and issues while trying to work with the new tool and features. Failing to provide users with enough support at the time causes a lack of enthusiasm leading to lower adoption rate and underutilization of the product.

So with the challenges well-known, once the platform is selected for a business, what are the CRM best practices that can help ensure a successful implementation? Lets discuss some targeted strategies and techniques that might help solve user adoption challenges.

Employees play the most significant role in successful CRM implementation. Hence, it is always wise to involve them from the very beginning of the implementation process and exhibit how the new system will reduce their workload. It is critical for organizations to make individual users understand the need of a new system to get the adoption process started off on the right foot.

To tailor the CRM according to user needs, the representative users across the sales hierarchy need to be involved in the software selection and design process. As a gesture for effective user adoption, users should be run through all the features to seek their perspective on the ideal CRM experience. Their inputs will help determine which application and workflow will be best suited to improve sales efficiency.

Also, communicating the staff about the value a CRM will bring to them and tying user adoption with personal growth and development will make users embrace the transformation more easily.

By now we already know that a CRM is only as good as the data in it. Only by filling it with quality data can the cycle of poor CRM adoption be broken. But manual effort is a big part of getting that quality data, which is just a monotonous, boring task for a user that keeps them from seeing the actual benefits of the tool. This is where CRM automation can change the game.

Automating time-consuming data entry and management tasks like customer outreach with quick email and call logging or email templates with merge fields can help reduce the manual entry efforts and make users see the CRM as a labor-saving tool. Every manual effort reduced by automation translates into lower frustration levels for the users and increased efficiency.

Automation fits into the business workflows and maintains quality data through automatic contact updates while ensuring that users dont have to change their ways of working just to get the data entered. Automation helps clean up the data, keep it up-to-date and also generate valuable insights that are easily visible and accessible by sales reps.

In addition to data automation, CRM can also be optimized with tools like relationship intelligence automation (RIA). RIA collects, stores and analyzes customer data from multiple resources like emails or social media and delivers automatically to the sales team without any manual input. It serves the CRM users with workable relationship insights that can help accelerate sales and strengthen customer relationships.

When it comes to the adoption of complex CRM applications like Salesforce, training cannot be just about sending employees to a traditional training class for a few weeks and overwhelming them with too much information at once. Instead, a short, initial training period that focuses on onboarding and a few key processes is the right way to get started with the training plan.

Digital adoption solutions (DAS) can be overlaid onto CRM applications (like Salesforce) to offer automated continuous learning while onboarding users to the new app. The system helps accelerate Digital Adoption in an organization by placing employees on the front lines and assisting them while working a typical day, providing walkthroughs to tackle practical tasks like adding an opportunity, data entry, data update, etc. DAS enables learning in the flow of work and prevents users from exiting the application to find help.

Digital adoption solutions can help improve CRM user adoption by:

The sales reps should always feel empowered to provide suggestions for improvements in the tool or report a process that is too complex for them. There is nothing more motivating to a user than knowing that their opinion is valued which keeps them engaged and makes them feel more invested in making the implementation successful. Hence, it is vital for organizations to understand the pulse of the users by regularly collecting their feedback and then channeling it to make improvements or add new features in the CRM.

Apart from providing in-app guidance, DAS also enables the monitoring of employee-software interactions as well. This monitoring is done by tracking user behavior like which CRM features are being used and how, record creation or updation rates, activity completion, open or closed tasks etc. Such insights can be used to understand software usage, what features the users need more help in, errors, and plug the gap accordingly. This can help improve the adoption metrics and create a better user experience.

CRM is meant to organize data and contacts based on targeted groups of customers, provide reports that give a direction to a business, and integrate with other software so it never moves away from the sales process.

CRM is an effective tool that salespeople should not fear. Instead, its up to managers to make their teams aware of how it can make their lives easier. It is important to pay attention to what users want, give them the chance to voice any concerns, and highlight whats in it for them to encourage adoption.

The CRM strategies discussed above can help organizations to encourage user adoption because they are all focused on the sales team. All of these aspects run parallel to each other and are tied together for a successful CRM implementation.

A CRM is not a static thing; rather, it is complex and needs to be constantly supported, maintained, and shaped toward refinement. Achieving the desired user adoption rates does not happen overnight; it requires an ongoing investment in improvement and dealing with milestones.

Discover the best CRM software solution for your business needs only on G2.

Disha Gupta is a content marketer at Whatfix. She helps organizations accelerate digital adoption by spreading awareness through her content. She has a great passion for writing anything and everything from poems to blog posts.

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5 Reasons for Low CRM Adoption and How to Tackle It - G2 Crowd

Louise Taute, Director, Comstor Southern Africa

It has not been an easy few years for the channel. A new generation of technologies has radically altered the value propositions offered to the market, not to mention how they generate profits. Customers have been urged to adapt and change, and that same requirement soon impacted the channel as well. How we do business shifted as radically as what we offer. The big bang projects have made way for long-term, iterative value generation. Its been important for channel providers to catch up to the new trends.

Then COVID-19 appeared on the scene, doubling down on the urgency. In some ways, the world has and will be changing forever. But there are also spaces where the outbreak has accelerated certain anticipated outcomes, explains Louise Taute, Comstor Director Southern Africa.

I think we can all agree that the companies which adopted new digital systems have been able to navigate the pandemic better than their competitors. This trend is evident in how some companies could switch to work-from-home arrangements almost overnight. Another example is the rapid adoption of video conferencing. These are examples of changes that have been ready and waiting in the wings, but suddenly became very relevant when the older ways of working were no longer practical.

Such outcomes might seem like great news for the channel. Yet in reality, many are still in the process of transforming. Transformation is particularly relevant to frontline channel providers those who form the layer between customers, and distributors and vendors.

Serving the new channel

Distributors, in particular, are vital to helping the frontline evolve and thrive. By placing end-user needs at the heart of changing business demands, they can help channel companies provide customer-relevant technology solutions. But this will require far more than catchy marketing slogans.

We have to appreciate that both the channel and its customers are under extreme pressure. Channel partners need to find increasingly innovative ways to install, manage, and support solutions for their customer, Taute elaborates.

The channel demands a new approach, consisting of training and enablement, professional services, software as a service and cross-vendor solutions. Distributors are the primary facilitators of this approach, providing their focus settles on helping partners and customers embrace change with future-proof technologies.

Specifically, two areas need attention. First, the traditional way of managing the sales cycle is evolving to become more digital-centric. This shift prompts the need for digital platforms that give channel companies a single view both of customer activities and the choices they can offer them. The channels operating model must change into a more efficient one, befitting their customers digital-centric business environments that require round-the-clock access to ICT solutions.

Secondly, there has to be more clarity on what vendors can offer and how different offerings can combine to deliver solutions. The biggest downside of new technologies is the complexity they create under the hood. Customers look to channel partners to navigate those complexities, who rely in turn on distributors to help illuminate different choices. Vendors are doing the same: they increasingly lean on distributors to appreciate and communicate the various combinations offered by their products.

These were already pressing challenges before the COVID pandemic. But the latter has both accelerated these trends and disrupted them significantly. More than ever before, customers look to channel partners for certainty, and the channel turns to distributors for guidance. If the channel is to reinvent itself successfully, distributors are the linchpins. Their investments in digital tools for pre-sales, sales, training, inventory, marketing and other services are crucial for enabling the channels evolution.

Distributors must serve the channel via their traditional channel-centric models as well as innovative digital options to drive a digital-first strategy, says Taute. They must equip their channel partners with the tools, technology integration and automation they need to better sell technology, no matter the logistics behind how solutions are delivered.

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Reinventing the channel: COVID-19 and beyond - ITWeb

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MILWAUKEE -- An idea from a Milwaukee business owner hit hard by the pandemic is growing, looking for ways to celebrate Juneteenth throughvegansoul food.

Juneteenth is formally recognized as June 19, marking the emancipation of the last remaining slaves in the U.S. and a celebration of African American culture. But celebrations are stretching all week long in Milwaukee. At Alice's Garden near 21st and North, one event aims for the soul.

"Create menus that honor the heritage and culture of African American people," said Zakiya Courtney, owner of Vegan Soul.

Courtney has been a personal chef and caterer for years, running Vegan Soul out of her kitchen. The coronavirus hit her business hard.

"It stopped. This is my first event that I've had. My business totally stopped," Courtney said.

But, featuring some ingredients grown right in the community garden, a sold out pop-up soul food restaurant is showing Courtney what the pandemic has returned to us.

"Just being able to sit down at a table and talk with your family -- what their day has been like. What their world has been like...goals, plans...all those discussions take place at the table and usually over food," said Courtney.

Also important, customers are there to support a local black business owner. It's an appreciation and celebration Courtney will extend beyond Juneteenth.

"When people choose to support businesses like mine, they are contributing to the community," Courtney said.

In case you are wondering how Courtney makes ribs -- a soul food staple -- vegan, she says she uses gluten as a meat alternative.

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Contributing to the community: Milwaukee business brings vegan twist to Juneteenth celebrations - WITI FOX 6 Milwaukee

Ready, set, recipes! Here are our just published, fresh-out-the-mill recipes in one convenient place! These are the top vegan recipes of the day, and are now a part of the thousands of recipes on ourFood Monster App! Our newest recipes include whoopie pies, elderberry syrup, and cookie dough bites, so if youre looking for something new and delicious, these recipes are it!

We also highly recommend downloading theFood Monster App with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest meatless, vegan, plant-based and allergy-friendly recipe resource to help you get healthy! And, dont forget to check out our Popular Trends Archives!

Source: Homemade Elderberry Syrup

When its cold and flu season, everyone runs out to buy some pricey elderberry syrup. Its less expensive to make your own and youll know exactly what went in it. You can make this Homemade Elderberry Syrup by Kathy Hester a double batch and freeze some, so you always have it on hand.

Source: Funfetti Whoopie Pies

But these Funfetti Whoopie Pies by Megan Calipari will be delicious no matter what shape they are!

Source: Cookie Dough Bites

These Cookie Dough Bites by Hannah Sunderani are nothing short of delicious! Theyre made with healthy, wholesome ingredients and are perfect for snacking on-the-go. Theyre also super easy to make. Sweet, doughy and full of chocolate chunks, these no-bake cookie dough bites are great for a sweet-tooth fix.

Source: Depression Era Cake

Whats fab about this Depression Era Cake by Gabrielle St. Claire, is everything! Its quick, easy, affordable features minimal ingredients, is rich with flavor, history, buttery soft, has a lil less sugar, features coffee, is perfect for any season, any occasion, you can top with whatever you like or serve plain, and its just so good!

Source: No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Cookies

These No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Cookies by Taavi Moore are no fail and only contain oats, shredded coconut, coconut oil, peanut butter, maple syrup, cocoa powder, and flaky sea salt. With only 7 simple ingredients, these no-bake chocolate coconut cookies are the perfect snack or healthy dessert. They take less than 20 minutes to make.

Source: Cheesy Broccoli, Quinoa, and White Bean Bake

This Cheesy Broccoli, Quinoa, and White Bean Bake by Allie Penner is a healthy vegan meal thats big on flavour and satisfaction factor!

Source: No-Bake Mint Cherry Tart

These No-Bake Mint Cherry Tart by Leah Moldowan are so easy to make and almost dangerously easy to eat. The crust is coconutty, with a bit of buckwheat crunch. Then they are filled with a creamy vanilla bean and mint cream and then theyre topped with beautiful fresh cherries.

Source: Apple Strudel With Custard

What better excuse is there to have an amazing and super easy dessert? This Apple Strudel With Custard by Philipp Ertl is becomes golden brown goodness as it bakes and the fragrant, sweet scent of apples is amazing.

For those of you interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend downloading theFood Monster App with over 15,000 delicious recipes. It is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmentalandhealth benefitsof aplant-based diet.

Here are some great resources to get you started:

For more Animal, Earth, Life, Vegan Food, Health, and Recipe content published daily, subscribe to theOne Green Planet Newsletter!Lastly, being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high quality content. Please considersupporting us by donating!

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From Funfetti Whoopie Pies to Cookie Dough Bites: Our Top Eight Vegan Recipes of the Day! - One Green Planet

Some of the best places to get your plant on are serving satisfying meals to go

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Even during a crisis that has forced many restaurants to go takeout only, the Bay Areas non-meat eaters still have a multitude of options: More restaurants than ever before are attempting to lure the vegan or merely the vegan-curious to the table with promises of improved health, environmental friendliness ... or just delicious food. Its true, the Bay Area is indeed home to locations of vegan chains like VeganBurg, Next Level Burger, Loving Hut, and Project Juice, but the citys local restaurants are where you can find the best and most original vegan dishes and, during the pandemic, theyre the ones that are in need of most help.

On this list, youll find longstanding Asian venues known for their double-take mock meats, health-focused juice and salad cafes, and high-end restaurants that attempt to appeal to every diner (vegan or not). What you wont find on this list of San Franciscos 18 most satisfying vegan restaurants are spots that serve any animal products at all.

As always, things are changing rapidly during the crisis and places might unexpectedly change their hours. Please confirm via phone, online, or social media before making a special trip.

Note: Restaurants on this map are listed geographically.

1954 University Ave Berkeley, CA 94704

Vegans who thought theyd have to sacrifice comfort foods like cold cuts find solace at the Butchers Son, where stuffed sandwiches are the star and fake meats are sold-deli style, by the pound. Takeout can be ordered online here.

1401 University Ave Berkeley, CA 94702

From the folks that brought you the Butchers Son comes the Kings Feet, a spot focused on vegan Italian food like pasta, pizza, and even fried faux calamari and mozzerella sticks. The full menu is here, order carryout by calling (510)-841-5200.

4252 Piedmont Ave Oakland, CA 94611

Both locations of Timeless Coffee (4252 Piedmont Avenue in Oakland and 2965 College Avenue in Berkeley) are open with limited hours for takeout of vegan coffee drinks, baked goods, and chocolates. Online ordering for takeout is here, and walk-up customers are also welcome.

1327 Peralta St Oakland, CA 94607

This ongoing vegan pop-up is only open on Saturdays and Sundays during the pandemic, and call-in orders for pickup must be placed at 510-994-9444. Its star menu items like chicken and a biscuit, gluten-free pizza with buffalo kale and oyster mushrooms, and wildly flavored doughnuts can be spotted on Instagram.

500 Lake Park Ave Oakland, CA 94610

Vegan Mobs menu of vegan comfort food and barbecue is so popular, owner Toriano Gordon regularly has to shut down online ordering and only serve walk-up customers to his Oakland spot. Its hard to pick a standout from the menu, which is stocked with stick-to-the ribs fare like a fake shrimp po boy and a plant-based brisket bowl. Online takeout orders can be placed here, delivery for Oakland and Berkeley households is via Uber Eats and Caviar.

1116 Franklin St Oakland, CA 94607

This Oakland vegan restaurant is a better-than-average iteration of the standard mock meat Chinese spot, with a massive menu than includes a number of hearty and fully plant-based soups. Takeout orders can be made online here

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351 12th St Oakland, CA 94607

Bare Knuckle is another all-vegan pizza spot, with pies made with toppings from East Bay neighbor the Butchers Son. While delicious, its best for those who arent sensitive to gluten, as those pies cost $4 extra and residual wheat flour can be found on its surfaces. Order takeout by phone at (510) 463-1524 (the menu is here), delivery is available via DoorDash or Grubhub.

411 E 18th St Oakland, CA 94606

What they serve is in the name: vegan doughnuts and vegan gelato. The full menu is here, and walk-in orders can be placed Wednesdays to Mondays from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

2000 Union St San Francisco, CA 94123

Wildseed, Adriano Paganinis plant-based restaurant and bar is one of the buzziest players on the veg scene, with a menu of local, vegan, and seasonal dishes like neatball masala and a rigatoni bolognese (with Impossible meat). Orders for takeoutcan be placed here, and delivery is available viaCaviar.

301 Broadway Oakland, CA 94607

Souley Vegans soul-focused menu of favorites like cornbread, gumbo, and (seitan) chicken and waffles is available for online orders here. Delivery is available for the Oakland spot as well, just check GrubHub, Caviar, or DoorDash to see if youre within its delivery radius.

1323 Polk St San Francisco, CA 94109

This fully plant-based vegan comfort food spots Cow Hollow location has temporarily closed, but its Polk spot is open for takeout and delivery.Its menu offersa bounty of mock meat offerings, like fake tri-tip, counterfeit crab cakes, and faux chicken with gluten-free waffles. Online orderingis available here.

189 6th Ave San Francisco, CA 94118

Nourish Cafehas two locations in San Francisco: one in the Inner Richmond, and another at 1030 Hyde Street in Nob Hill. Completely plant-based, they servejuice, smoothies, bowls, and sandwiches for breakfast and lunch (the Nob Hill location also offers dinner). Both locations have curbside pickup (call 415-571-8780 for their 6th Avenue location or 415-580-7463 for Hyde St), and delivery is availablevia these apps.

395 Golden Gate Ave San Francisco, CA 94102

Long before the Impossible Burger, Golden Era was confounding vegans with its fake chicken and beef in flavorful Chinese dishes. Its worth nothing that this spot is owned and operated by followers ofSupreme Master Ching Hai, so while the food is indeed delicious, folks uncomfortable with religious propaganda should probably steer clear. Those who arent can order takeout by phone (the menu is here) at (415) 487-8687, and delivery is available via Postmates, Caviar, and Grubhub.

299 Divisadero St San Francisco, CA 94117

Wholesome Bakeryisnt just vegan, its free of gluten, soy, and trans fats. At the Divisadero Street cafe you can find a solid selection of sandwiches, bowls, and salads, but go for the baked goods, including indulgence-worthy brownies, cookies, and cakes. Online orderingis available here, and local delivery is free.

2170 Mission St San Francisco, CA 94110

The food at Mission District craft brewery Above Ground is all plant based, from its burgers (Beyond Meat and mushroom patties are both available) to its pizza and pasta (much of which is also gluten free). If nuts are also a worry, about half of the pizza menu is also completely nut free, so this spot is an allergy sufferers dream. Order takeout online here, and delivery is available via Caviar.

2211 Mission St San Francisco, CA 94110

The owners ofGracias Madrehave found themselvesembroiled in numerous controversiesover the years, but since its opening in 2010 the restaurant has been a standby for vegans who crave Mexican food and dont want to grill restaurant staff on matters like bean preparation. Vegetables are the centerpiece of most dishes, and there are enough nut-cheese preparations to make some meat eaters feel like theyre not missing all that much. Call (415) 683-1346 to order pickup (the menu is here), delivery is available via DoorDash, Caviar, and GrubHub

762 Valencia St San Francisco, CA 94110

Cha-Yaserves some of the tastiest and prettiest vegan Japanese fare you can find in the city, including delicate salads, hearty noodle dishes, and inventive sushi rolls. Theyre open for takeout witha limited menu and hoursWednesday to Sunday. Call 415-252-7825 to place an order.

21001 San Ramon Valley Blvd San Ramon, CA 94583

This burger spot is focused on serving up bean-centric patties of the unprocessed kind, a great alternative to vegan meat replacements with ingredient lists longer than a human arm. Though the burgers share flavors with many Indian dishes, Baagans menu spans many cuisines, with salads, latkes, burritos, and even cheesecake. Order takeout online here, delivery is available via DoorDash and Uber Eats.

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Vegans who thought theyd have to sacrifice comfort foods like cold cuts find solace at the Butchers Son, where stuffed sandwiches are the star and fake meats are sold-deli style, by the pound. Takeout can be ordered online here.

1954 University Ave Berkeley, CA 94704

From the folks that brought you the Butchers Son comes the Kings Feet, a spot focused on vegan Italian food like pasta, pizza, and even fried faux calamari and mozzerella sticks. The full menu is here, order carryout by calling (510)-841-5200.

1401 University Ave Berkeley, CA 94702

Both locations of Timeless Coffee (4252 Piedmont Avenue in Oakland and 2965 College Avenue in Berkeley) are open with limited hours for takeout of vegan coffee drinks, baked goods, and chocolates. Online ordering for takeout is here, and walk-up customers are also welcome.

4252 Piedmont Ave Oakland, CA 94611

This ongoing vegan pop-up is only open on Saturdays and Sundays during the pandemic, and call-in orders for pickup must be placed at 510-994-9444. Its star menu items like chicken and a biscuit, gluten-free pizza with buffalo kale and oyster mushrooms, and wildly flavored doughnuts can be spotted on Instagram.

1327 Peralta St Oakland, CA 94607

Vegan Mobs menu of vegan comfort food and barbecue is so popular, owner Toriano Gordon regularly has to shut down online ordering and only serve walk-up customers to his Oakland spot. Its hard to pick a standout from the menu, which is stocked with stick-to-the ribs fare like a fake shrimp po boy and a plant-based brisket bowl. Online takeout orders can be placed here, delivery for Oakland and Berkeley households is via Uber Eats and Caviar.

500 Lake Park Ave Oakland, CA 94610

This Oakland vegan restaurant is a better-than-average iteration of the standard mock meat Chinese spot, with a massive menu than includes a number of hearty and fully plant-based soups. Takeout orders can be made online here

1116 Franklin St Oakland, CA 94607

Bare Knuckle is another all-vegan pizza spot, with pies made with toppings from East Bay neighbor the Butchers Son. While delicious, its best for those who arent sensitive to gluten, as those pies cost $4 extra and residual wheat flour can be found on its surfaces. Order takeout by phone at (510) 463-1524 (the menu is here), delivery is available via DoorDash or Grubhub.

351 12th St Oakland, CA 94607

What they serve is in the name: vegan doughnuts and vegan gelato. The full menu is here, and walk-in orders can be placed Wednesdays to Mondays from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

411 E 18th St Oakland, CA 94606

Wildseed, Adriano Paganinis plant-based restaurant and bar is one of the buzziest players on the veg scene, with a menu of local, vegan, and seasonal dishes like neatball masala and a rigatoni bolognese (with Impossible meat). Orders for takeoutcan be placed here, and delivery is available viaCaviar.

2000 Union St San Francisco, CA 94123

Souley Vegans soul-focused menu of favorites like cornbread, gumbo, and (seitan) chicken and waffles is available for online orders here. Delivery is available for the Oakland spot as well, just check GrubHub, Caviar, or DoorDash to see if youre within its delivery radius.

301 Broadway Oakland, CA 94607

This fully plant-based vegan comfort food spots Cow Hollow location has temporarily closed, but its Polk spot is open for takeout and delivery.Its menu offersa bounty of mock meat offerings, like fake tri-tip, counterfeit crab cakes, and faux chicken with gluten-free waffles. Online orderingis available here.

1323 Polk St San Francisco, CA 94109

Nourish Cafehas two locations in San Francisco: one in the Inner Richmond, and another at 1030 Hyde Street in Nob Hill. Completely plant-based, they servejuice, smoothies, bowls, and sandwiches for breakfast and lunch (the Nob Hill location also offers dinner). Both locations have curbside pickup (call 415-571-8780 for their 6th Avenue location or 415-580-7463 for Hyde St), and delivery is availablevia these apps.

189 6th Ave San Francisco, CA 94118

Long before the Impossible Burger, Golden Era was confounding vegans with its fake chicken and beef in flavorful Chinese dishes. Its worth nothing that this spot is owned and operated by followers ofSupreme Master Ching Hai, so while the food is indeed delicious, folks uncomfortable with religious propaganda should probably steer clear. Those who arent can order takeout by phone (the menu is here) at (415) 487-8687, and delivery is available via Postmates, Caviar, and Grubhub.

395 Golden Gate Ave San Francisco, CA 94102

Wholesome Bakeryisnt just vegan, its free of gluten, soy, and trans fats. At the Divisadero Street cafe you can find a solid selection of sandwiches, bowls, and salads, but go for the baked goods, including indulgence-worthy brownies, cookies, and cakes. Online orderingis available here, and local delivery is free.

299 Divisadero St San Francisco, CA 94117

The food at Mission District craft brewery Above Ground is all plant based, from its burgers (Beyond Meat and mushroom patties are both available) to its pizza and pasta (much of which is also gluten free). If nuts are also a worry, about half of the pizza menu is also completely nut free, so this spot is an allergy sufferers dream. Order takeout online here, and delivery is available via Caviar.

2170 Mission St San Francisco, CA 94110

The owners ofGracias Madrehave found themselvesembroiled in numerous controversiesover the years, but since its opening in 2010 the restaurant has been a standby for vegans who crave Mexican food and dont want to grill restaurant staff on matters like bean preparation. Vegetables are the centerpiece of most dishes, and there are enough nut-cheese preparations to make some meat eaters feel like theyre not missing all that much. Call (415) 683-1346 to order pickup (the menu is here), delivery is available via DoorDash, Caviar, and GrubHub

2211 Mission St San Francisco, CA 94110

Cha-Yaserves some of the tastiest and prettiest vegan Japanese fare you can find in the city, including delicate salads, hearty noodle dishes, and inventive sushi rolls. Theyre open for takeout witha limited menu and hoursWednesday to Sunday. Call 415-252-7825 to place an order.

762 Valencia St San Francisco, CA 94110

This burger spot is focused on serving up bean-centric patties of the unprocessed kind, a great alternative to vegan meat replacements with ingredient lists longer than a human arm. Though the burgers share flavors with many Indian dishes, Baagans menu spans many cuisines, with salads, latkes, burritos, and even cheesecake. Order takeout online here, delivery is available via DoorDash and Uber Eats.

21001 San Ramon Valley Blvd San Ramon, CA 94583

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The Best Vegan Restaurants Open for Takeout and Delivery in the SF Bay Area - Eater SF

In August, United Kingdom-based vegan pizzeria Purezza will open a two-story location in Brighton & Hovethe first all-vegan restaurant in the South East England city. The location will occupy a closed ptisserie and feature upcycled furniture, eco-friendly decorations, and organic plants. The menu will include Purezzas award-winning pizzas, cocktails, a full gluten-free menu, and raw items such as tiramisu for dessert.

In 2015, Purezza opened in Brighton as the UKs first vegan pizzeria before expanding to a two-story London location. The company also recently opened its own vegan cheese factory. The new location will ease the long linesin which customers wait up to three hoursat its Brighton location and allow for local delivery to surrounding communities.

2020 was always set to be a big year for Purezza, and whilst the coronavirus crisis was an unforeseen challenge, it wont affect our plans. Purezza is a growing brand, but our home has always been Brighton & Hove, Purezza co-owner and co-founder Tim Barclay said. Before looking at national expansion, were proud to be able to give some of our most dedicated customers a brand new beautiful space in Hove to enjoy.

In 2019, Purezza became the first vegan entrant to win an award in the prestigious Campionato Mondiale Della Pizza (World Pizza Championship) in Parma, Italy.

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UK's First Vegan Pizzeria to Open Third Location this Summer - VegNews

If you're looking for acomforting dish to put on your dinner table, thisrecipe for green bean and tofu casserole is a staple the entire family can enjoy. The blend of crimini mushrooms, fried onions and perfectly cooked tofu is so good your kids won't even notice that it's loaded with vegetables.

Easy Cooking and Baking Ingredient Swaps and Substitutions Everyone Should Know

As one of thebest casserole dishes around, this dish isa great way touse any leftoversyou may have from the previous night's dinner.

To make the dish, you'll need a variety of common pantry seasoningsas well as tofu, green beans, cremini mushrooms, onions, vegetable broth and garlic. After cooking your veggies, coat half of your casserole dish with vegetable stock and stir in some flour. Then puree the tofu with vegetable broth until it's smooth. Add the tofu and vegetable mixture to the baking dish. Top it with fried onions and bakefor 15 minutes.

And viola, in less than one hour you have a delicious vegetarian dinner that'scheap and easy to make.

Creamy Green Bean and Tofu Vegan Casserole

Ingredients:

3/4package House Foods Tofu, Medium Firm

1 1/2 poundgreen beans, trimmed and cut in half

1 1/2 cupcremini mushrooms, sliced

1 cupfried onions

1 tablespoonolive oil

2 teaspoonssea salt

1/2 teaspoonblack pepper

3garlic cloves, minced

1/2medium onion, chopped

1/8 teaspooncayenne

3/4 cupsvegetable broth

2 teaspoonsall purpose flour

Preheat oven to 400F.

Directions

Fill large stock pot with water and bring to a boil with a pinch of sea salt. Add green beans and cook for 5 minutes, then strain.

Meanwhile, cook onions with olive oil over medium heat until soft, then add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne and cook another 3 minutes.

Deglaze pan with half of the vegetable stock, saving other half for the tofu. Sprinkle flour over the pan and stir to create a sauce.

Puree tofu in a food processor with remaining cup of vegetable broth until smooth.

Add pureed tofu to mushroom pan and stir over medium heat to coat mushrooms evenly. Then add green beans and toss to coat well.

Transfer green bean mixture to casserole baking dish, top with fried onions and bake for 15 minutes.

This recipe is courtesy ofHouse Foods.

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Recipe of the Day: Creamy Green Bean and Tofu Vegan Casserole - The Daily Meal

Vegan chef, author, and entrepreneur Ayinde Howell recently made a 30-year commitment to donate 5 percent of annual net sales of his brand Mac and Yeasewhich will be matched by his personal salary incometo organizations dedicated to the education, justice, and liberation of Black Americans. Last week, Howell hosted a 24-hour sale of Mac and Yease that included donating 30 percent of sales to The Bail Project following the mass arrests during recent social justice protests across the country. Since then, Howell decided that he wanted to continue helping the movement financially for the next 30 years so that what happened this year doesnt happen again in 2050.

I cant get tired. I dont want my nephew to tell me his, I got shot with a rubber bullet in the face while marching story in 30 years, Howell told VegNews. I cant take my blackness off, so it was a pretty easy decision. I cant earn my way out of racism. So until being a normal Black person is safe, I have work to do. Howell plans to donate to Black Lives Matter and the Bail Project, among others.

Howell first created the vegan mac and cheese recipe Mac and Yease as a tribute to his great-grandmother. The dish debuted in the hot bar at Whole Foods Markets in the Southern Pacific region in 2018 and has since expanded to more locations.

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Vegan Chef Makes 30-Year Commitment to Donate to the Black Lives Matter Movement - VegNews

Vegan leather (also called faux leather) has, admittedly, not always had the best of reputations among fashion enthusiasts. But as the appetite for more sustainable practices continues to grow, more and more brands and designers have once again started working with the material. Perhaps once regarded as glorified plastic - and a cheap way to recreate some of our favorite '90s looks - faux leather has been transformed over the past few years.

Ahead, keep reading to learn more about what vegan leather is, where it comes from, and understand the differences between the material and its real counterpart. And if you're looking to add more vegan leather pieces to your wardrobe, we've also included some of our favorite styles for you to shop, too.

What Is Vegan Leather, and Where Does It Come From?

Vegan leather is a material that mimics real leather, but that is created from either synthetic or plant-based materials instead of animal skins. Also called "faux" or "synthetic" leather, vegan leather is most commonly made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyurethane (PU), two plastic polymers that help give the crinkled effect of real leather.

Over the past few years, however, PVC and PU have been falling out of favor due to the environmental challenges they can present, and have started being replaced by more sustainable materials that can be made out of natural resources such as pineapple leaves, apple peels, other fruit waste, recycled plastic, and cork.

Whats the Difference Between Vegan Leather and Real Leather?

The principal difference between the two fabrics is that genuine leather is made from animal skins, while faux leather is made from synthetic or plant-based materials before being treated and dyed to create the color and texture.

Due to its nature, real leather is unique and often features inconsistent pores and marks, while faux leather, as a man-made fabric, tends to be uniform.

Durability is also something that needs to be taken into account when weighing up the pros and cons between the two fabrics: when cared for properly, real leather can last for years, if not decades, while faux leather is generally a bit more delicate.

Where to Shop For Vegan Leather Pieces

Shopping for good quality, faux leather pieces has never been so easy. While several high-end brands such Stella McCartney and Nanushka are renowned for their sustainability practices and use of faux leather, a whole host of other labels have also started using the material. Brands like Zara, H&M, Dr. Martens, Topshop and ASOS are now all offering vegan leather options within their collections.

Frankie Shop Black Leather Cargo Pants

Frankie Shop Black Leather Cargo Pants ($210)

Our Vegan Leather Picks

Dr Martens Vegan 1460 Lace Up Boots ($150)

Stella McCartney x Adidas Originals Stan Smith Vegan Leather Sneakers

Stella McCartney x Adidas Originals Stan Smith Vegan Leather Sneakers ($325)

Studio Amelia Croc-Effect Vegan Leather Sandals

Studio Amelia Croc-Effect Vegan Leather Sandals ($320)

Veja x Rick Owens Vegan Leather and Suede Sneakers

Veja x Rick Owens Vegan Leather and Suede Sneakers ($290)

H&M Faux Leather Mules

H&M Faux Leather Mules ($30)

Nanushka Cancun Vegan Leather Fitted Blazer

Nanushka Cancun Vegan Leather Fitted Blazer ($585)

ASOS Design Ultimate Faux Leather Biker Jacket

ASOS Design Curve Ultimate Faux Leather Biker Jacket ($56)

Zara Faux Leather Jacket

Zara Faux Leather Jacket ($70)

BB Dakota Just Ride Vegan Leather Jacket

BB Dakota Just Ride Vegan Leather Jacket ($49, originally $98)

Mango Violeta Zipped Faux Leather Biker Jacket

Mango Violeta Zipped Faux Leather Biker Jacket ($80, originally $120)

Stella McCartney Logo Bucket Bag

Stella McCartney Logo Bucket Bag ($715)

JW Pei Gabbi Bag

JW Pei Gabbi Bag ($88)

Bare Boheme Charlotte Tote

Bare Boheme Charlotte Tote ($78, originally $128)

Mashu Amaryllis Bag

Mashu Amaryllis Bag ($363)

Topshop Eve Faux Leather Shoulder Bag

Topshop Eve Faux Leather Shoulder Bag ($48)

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Curious About Vegan Leather? Here's What You Need to Know - Yahoo Lifestyle

Sorry to bring bad news to all you plant-based lovers out there, but if you're single and looking for a match you might want to move to England. That's where the vegan dating world is really heating up, according to new data froma vegan dating app, which counts more vegans per 10 million people. So per capita, England has more vegans per capita who are single than the US. Then again there is a glimmer of hope: There are more vegans overall in the US. So if you are looking for love, there is an app that is designed to make it easier to make that elusive "veg-match."

The Beet interviewed.Alex Felipelli, Veggly founder (pronounced with the soft "g" like veggies) and learned how to navigate the tricky world of dating in the time of COVID-19 as a single vegetarian or vegan.

First of all, when do you tell your date that you are vegan and only want to date other vegans? That questions just doesn't come up when you're in a vegan dating app. You assume they' like you, are staying away from meat and dairy for ethical, health and environmental reasons. Pass the tofu. This is going to be a hot night!

The recent data, which just came out from the app's data mine of users,shows the vest place to be vegan and looking for love is the UK. In fact the app had more users sign up in England, Germany, Australia, Brazil and Canada than in the US. The number of American vegans trying to date other vegansonlyoutpaced Spain and France. So perhaps the "vegan dating" game would merit a trip to London just about now (it has a great array of vegan restaurants).

We asked Alex Felipelli, the founder of Veggly, about how to date vegan in the time of COVID-19, when going out is complicated, to say the least.

AF: I am a computer engineer by background and launched the app in October of 2018.I gotdivorced and I am a vegan, so I was looking for options. You may or may not know, if you're not in this world, but that is something that can become a challenge. To me, the vegan lifestyle and value system is really important in a mate. So I created Veggly to make it easier.

When you meet someone, and you don't tell them you're vegan, there can be an awkward moment when they find out. They can get into debates or be disagreeable. Veggly thinks the way to go is to know it in advance. So that's why people join Veggly.

Being vegan and single, you want to meet other vegans. I talked to a lot of friends and vegans and they agreed and they said it sounds like a great idea. I wanted to start something. This was a great opportunity for something I believe in. Help the community in finding their veg-match.

AF: In the beginning, it was slow and takes a while before you get some more growth but in the middle of 2019, it started to pick up and have a lot more users. We went from 20,000 in mid-2019 and we grew to more than 100,00 by the end of the year. Close to 130,000 users now. We have more people signed up in the US but the UK is by far the leader in vegans per capita. There are just more vegans in ratio to the population in England.

AF: Veggly is a free model, costs nothing to set up your account.The app is available globally so we are in every country.We also have a paid subscription available that allows you toveg-match when someone likes you back. Without the paid version you only get it when they like you and you like them back.In the paid version you can see who liked you-- even before you like them back. You can see that 13 people liked your profile and you can see them before you choose to like them back.

The "like" is confidential. But there is also a super like. We can include a message with it and it will send them a notification and email and the other user can see the super like. it increases the chances of a match.

It's another way of doing it is to go onto Match or another app and use the little green sprout emoji on Tinder. A lot of our users do that as well. We don't expect them to completely stop using other apps when the sign up for Veggly. But we do see a lot of people complaining that the experience they get from those apps, when they get matched to meat-eaters in other apps is not great. Because when you start chatting and you like someone and start talking about the fact that you're vegan it can get uncomfortable and it's not worth having any arguments or disagreements about it. If you're vegan you don't want to have to defend it.

The countries we focus on are the U.K., Australia, Germany, and Brazil. And the US of course. You can sort by distance from a potential match, and see first the people who are within one mile, two-miles, etc. You can set up filters and set up maximum distance as 30 miles and 100 miles. etc. Some people say they leave those distance filters on large because they just want to meet people.

In absolute terms, the country with the largest number of users is the USA, but relative to its population, the UK is the largest country on Veggly. So that means per 10 million people there are more in the UK looking for a vegan match. And more women are looking for a vegan match. Right now, 47% of users are men and 53% are women

Q: What can you do on the app?

AF: You can meet people by matching and chatting. It's much more similar to Hinge. You like someone, they like you, then it's a match.A lot of people use it for finding friends, actually. We haveplans to make it officia-- as a friend finder --in the future. So you can make vegan friendship matches.

When you go vegan you already have your friends, and mostly they are nonvegan so you would be happy to find new friends who think like you and eat like you. So it's important to find new friends. So a lot of people don't restrict their geographic location.

AF:We have a lot of success stories of people who found a girlfriend or boyfriend. None of them told us they are getting married, yet. We have testimonials -- we have a testimonial page of people who have found love on the site. We have iOS and Android and it is accessible on the site. It was created as an app first.

AF: More vegans and I think it's because vegetarians can pretty much date anyone but vegans want to date other vegans. About 58 percent of our users are vegan, 28 percent vegetarian and 14 percent are in transition. And I think it's to be expected the vegetarians also would like to meet others to date but they are a little less strict in the sense of their vegan values. Vegans like to share the same value system. And it's not just about food. The food is one point for their vegan lifestyle but vegans often feel strongly about their ethical values and want to be with someone with similar values.

Q: Have more people downloaded the app since quarantine started?

AF:We noticed people were accessing it more especially at the beginning of COVID-19 when the quarantines and restrictions started to take place. We saw a bump in the rate of not necessarily new users bout just accessing the app more often. Since 2019 we have seen 5x the growth: In July there were 21,250 users worldwide and now we have 128,000 as of May and even more in June.

We did a promotion -- warning, "Stay home butmakearranged dates" and we gave them 10 coins to send super likes to help with that. Just stay home and meet new people but until it's safe, don't go out. A lot of more people were using it. (You get coins when you sign up or you can buy them. )

As for sexual orientation, 78.1% of users declare to be heterosexuals, 7.1%, as gay and 14.7%, as bisexual.

AF:Hopefully if we have more vegans and vegetarians on the app in the coming weeks since it's still hard to meet someone if there are fewer parties and you don't go out and hang out in restaurants or bars.

We just reached the 200,000 veg matches. Out of 130,000 subscribers, so people are finding their matches. Some people have made lots of matches! This kind of app you get more matches per user, the more users you have.

We definitely want to hold Virtual Events in the future.We also have this vision of making it more of a social network for vegans and vegetarians. The part about the friends and finding your new vegan BFF to bring peoplein and use it more to find friends and access information around everything that entails the vegan life. We also are introducing video calling, so people can chat within the app before they meet in person. Especially now when social distancing still in place so that is important so they can meet before they meet.

Until then try out Veggly and see if you find your vegan match. You never know!

Country-based numbers can be derived from this. For example, if sending to a publisher in the US, it's probably relevant that US has 24% of 128,000 users = 30,500 users. The percentages didn't change much so it's safe to assume it was aboutof that in Jul/2019, so about 5,000 users.

Dark blue is men, light blue is women

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If You're Vegan and Single, You May Want to Move to the UK, or Get - The Beet