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Cape Town’s ‘lentil curtain’ is chockablock with vegan-friendly and plant-based menus at restaurants and cafes, but the rest of South Africa is still very fond of eating meat.

Well, the curtain has been blowing, and some fast food chains are catching on to this trend of sustainable eating, adding more plant-based, vegan options to their menus.

Kauai is known as a healthier, more sustainable fast food choice, with meat-and-dairy-free options to enjoy.

Fittingly, it is top of ProVeg South Africa’s ranking of plant-based, vegan-friendly local franchises in the country.

The international food awareness organisation, with an interest in reducing the consumption of meat, gave 23 restaurants a score out of 15 based on the number of plant-based items they offer on their menu including main courses, side dishes, and desserts.

The restaurants that follow Kauai are perhaps a little more surprising.

It looks like Spur’s taste for life has extended into a decent amount of plant-based options, as it is in second place in the ranking:

Image: Reddit / u/GizmoMassive

Spur has done well to include more plant-based foods made with ingredients such as soy, beans, and Beyond Burger patties:

Other meatless items on their menu include nachos, chicken-style schnitzels, quesadillas, side vegetables and salads. The restaurant also ensures that their vegan items are not prepared using the same equipment as their meat items.

But some folks have pointed out how weird it is to eat vegan foods in a restaurant renowned for the sizzle of meat.

At least they’re trying.

Spur is followed by Panarottis and Burger King, with Simply Asia rounding off the top five.

Per Business Insider, besides using the menu options in the ranking, ProVeg also gave points for:

Additional smaller points were awarded to vegan/plant-based labelling – clearly labelling with the word “vegan” or “plant-based”, or the letter V – and the restaurant’s efforts to advertise their available plant-based offerings.

Take a look at the full ranking list:

Image: ProVeg South Africa

Burger King is the first fast food chain in Africa to offer vegan meat, with its Vegan Royal burger and Vegan Nuggets certified by the internationally recognised vegan label, V-label.

[sources:businessinsider&provegSA]