Daily Grind expands vegan menu

The demand for healthier on-the-go options has increased and a local coffee shop works to keep up

HARRINA HWANG | The Daily Evergreen

Pullman’s Daily Grind coffee shop now offers a variety of healthy vegetarian and vegan meals, snacks and beverages.

SYDNEY BROWN, Evergreen reporter

American eating norms find themselves challenged as veganism and vegetarianism grow in both popular appeal and variety.

The Daily Grind quickly caught on to the growth of vegans in Pullman, employee of the coffee bar Jessica Lane said. She said she was enthusiastic about the different selections when she learned of the Daily Grind’s menu expansion.

“Our customers now include many people with a vegan diet,” Lane said. “It was both exciting and logical to include more options for them.”

The quaint coffeehouse’s menu grew in size in only a few months with the presence of several vegan and vegetarian-friendly dishes and drinks for all customers to enjoy.

Even those who do not lead a vegan lifestyle would enjoy the shop’s tasty new additions, said manager Tami Grady.

These dishes include the veggie breakfast burrito, vegan chocolate cake and quinoa black bean salad.

The Daily Grind worked on the inclusion of cold-pressed juices into their menu, with flavors ranging from sweet watermelon to tangy lemon. Their health benefits are almost as impressive as their flavors, Grady said.

Customers’ time seemed to be a factor in the expansion of the shop’s menu as well. Regular customers hardly have time to juice their own veggies and prepare their own healthy meals.

“The cold-pressed juices deliver all the vitamins, nutrients and minerals your body needs,” Grady said, “but no one has time to eat anymore.”

The wider variety, including small grab-and-go’s, allows for those rushed mornings to no longer prevent someone from having a healthy, yet hearty, breakfast, Grady said.

HARRINA HWANG | The Daily Evergreen
The Daily Grind added more menu options, like veggie burritos and cold-pressed juices.

“People need something quick but also want to be healthy,” she said. “Realizing the importance of being healthy has drawn a lot of people to veganism, and we are accommodating that choice.”

The natural food is the best kind of food, she said, with effects that relate directly to reducing both stress and physical symptoms.

The major health benefits appealed to a large enough customer base that the Daily Grind took an initiative to include healthier and vegan-friendly selections, Grady said.

“Attaining a meal when you have a vegan diet is harder than it needs to be,” Grady said. “We worked to make sure we have easy options for people that want them, or find themselves in a rush and still want to be as healthy as possible.”

At the customers’ disposal are the array of vegan and organic smoothies as well.

Though appealing to a growing demographic of vegan eaters could be a challenge to some, the Daily Grind took on their new customers with ease, Lane said.

The options for anything sweet or salty, vegetarian and organic contributed to an increasingly busy, yet friendly, atmosphere at The Daily Grind, she said.

“People are happier when they have more to choose from,” Lane said. “When they see all the great items on the menu, they tend to come back more often in order to try out the latest dish.”