VeggieHappy

In 2000, Johanna attended her first Major League Baseball game and found no viable vegetarian menu options in the entire stadium. She realized that many fans were either bringing their own food or eating before or after the game, so she decided to speak up. She compiled statistics on the rise in demand for vegetarian options and presented her menu suggestions to the concession manager. In particular, she suggested the addition of a vegetarian hot dog. She contacted every MLB park and offered her assistance as a liaison with popular manufacturers. She also reached out to baseball fans, consumer groups and supportive organizations, encouraging them to chime in. The Veggie Happy website (then called Soy Happy) was created as a resource, complete with an online Venue Vegetarian Guide listing every stadium's menu and contact information. Fans started to speak up, celebrities offered endorsements, media paid attention, and concession managers responded. When Veggie Happy started, none of the MLB parks offered veggie dogs. By opening day 2013, 26 of 30 MLB parks offered veggie dogs or frankfurters on their menus, many of them with our assistance. In 2003, Veggie Happy also acted as media and outreach coordinator for the Healthy School Lunch Resolution in California. Veggie Happy continues to provide consultation for stadiums and foodservice establishments. We have helped to facilitate everything from vegetarian frankfurters and specialty burgers to non-dairy cheese, gluten free snack chips and vegan desserts. Veggie Happy advocates not only for vegetarians and vegans, but for "flexitarians" as well. To this end, we only promote foods with proven appeal and popularity across a wide spectrum of consumers.