Meat is back on the menu after four years going vegan at Eleven Madison Park.
For four years, Eleven Madison Park stood at the cutting edge of elite, climate-minded gastronomy. Its pivot in 2021 to a fully plant-based menu made headlines worldwide, hailed by some as visionary and by others as impractical—a monument to idealism at the expense of inclusion.
Now, come October 2025, chef Daniel Humm’s New York City restaurant will offer meat and seafood once again alongside its celebrated vegan fare.
The decision marks not only a major shift for the restaurant but a reflection of evolving attitudes toward sustainability, hospitality, and the role food plays in contemporary culture.
The Vegan Gamble: Applause and Doubts
When Eleven Madison Park reopened in 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, its all-vegan menu was much more than a business maneuver; it was public advocacy. Chef Daniel Humm described food as his “voice”—a way to catalyze change, using the restaurant’s platform to spotlight sustainability and food insecurity issues.
During the pandemic, EMP operated as a community kitchen, collaborating with Rethink Food to prepare and deliver meals for New Yorkers in need, further advancing its social mission.
Transitioning to plant-based fine dining was both a leap of faith and an act of transformation. The move garnered global praise for sustainability, but also skepticism and confusion.
Critics and many loyal patrons wondered whether the restriction was too severe for the high-end experience EMP was known for. Some proclaimed it a “brilliant” act of culinary protest, others “baffling,” noting the tension between creative freedom and ecological responsibility.
The Reality of Running a Restaurant: Hospitality Meets Economics
From the outset, Humm saw the vegan pivot as an “all-in approach,” aiming to challenge norms and set new standards for luxury dining. But as the years passed, practical challenges mounted. EMP struggled—not in terms of critical acclaim, but in populating its seats and event bookings.
Private events, a crucial revenue stream for high-end restaurants, dwindled. “It’s hard to get 30 people for a corporate dinner to come to a plant-based restaurant,” Humm explained, revealing the economic friction beneath the restaurant’s idealistic exterior.
Wine sales suffered too, with connoisseurs missing the classic pairings between grand cru bottles and meat courses. Patrons, especially those seeking the most elevated culinary experiences, were hesitant to fully embrace a menu that excluded major culinary traditions tied to animal proteins.
Even though EMP retained its coveted three Michelin stars and its reputation as one of the finest establishments worldwide, some regulars were left behind by the vegan commitment.
Why the Shift Back?
By reintroducing meat and seafood, Eleven Madison Park aims to balance its foundational ethos with the most timeless mandate of hospitality: making people feel welcome. Humm acknowledges anxieties about being labeled “a hypocrite,” yet insists that inclusivity at the table is the surest path to furthering plant-based culinary innovation.
“The best way to continue to champion plant-based cooking is to let everyone participate around the table,” he asserts.
The new menu, debuting October 14, will still emphasize plants. Diners will encounter primarily vegan courses, but will now have the choice to replace select vegetables with meat or seafood—an oyster, a small lobster portion, or the signature lavender honey-lacquered duck.
The restaurant is also considering adding chicken, making sure that patrons who prefer entirely vegan meals will still have that option.
Understanding the Signal: What’s Happening in Luxury Dining?
Eleven Madison Park’s decision isn’t mere capitulation to customer demand—it’s the latest chapter in a broader dining evolution. The past five years have seen environmental consciousness move from niche concern to mainstream talking point.
While veganism has flourished, especially among younger eaters and in plant-forward cities like Los Angeles and London, the world’s top restaurants are recalibrating. Fine dining has always been about both aspiration and comfort, and contemporary luxury means offering choice rather than forcing doctrine.
Across the globe, restaurants have experimented with more sustainable menus: reducing beef, spotlighting local produce, and tackling food waste have all gained traction. Yet, the EMP story illustrates the limits of radical change—and the need for adaptation. The reality is that food is cultural, personal, and communal. Restrictive menus, especially for high-stakes occasions, can feel less like innovation and more like exclusion.
The Rise of “Hybrid” Hospitality
What does this mean for food trends globally? The signal from Eleven Madison Park is clear: the next era of luxury dining is not absolutist, but hybrid. Plant-based options will remain central, driven by environmental imperatives and health awareness.
But the pendulum is swinging toward a more nuanced, guest-centered approach—restaurants will spotlight vegetables and sustainability while still honoring culinary traditions that include animal products.
For chefs, this means new creative frontiers. Humm, for instance, believes that guests who have one meticulously-crafted fish or duck course among eight vegetable-focused dishes might—perhaps for the first time—discover the beauty of plant cuisine. “They might even like the vegetable dishes more,” he notes, suggesting that incremental change could have greater impact than enforced uniformity.
Cultural Shifts Beyond the Plate
EMP’s transition tells a broader cultural story. In the wake of COVID-19 and amid deepening climate concerns, people have become both more mindful and more pragmatic.
Diners want to feel good about their choices but also crave the flexibility that makes dining out special. Restaurants, meanwhile, strive for survival, balancing values with the realities of business in an uncertain economic landscape.
The move signals a maturation of the food sustainability conversation. It’s no longer about binary choices—vegan or carnivore, climate crusader or traditionalist—but about thoughtful inclusion. Hospitality, at its heart, is about caring for people, meeting them where they are, and guiding them gently toward new possibilities.
Conclusion: Toward a More Welcoming Future
As Eleven Madison Park ushers meat back into its kitchen, Chef Daniel Humm invites the world to view food policy and culinary creativity through a more generous lens.
The restaurant’s return to a hybrid menu is less a retreat from idealism than a bold affirmation of hospitality—where all are welcome, and change happens through invitation, not exclusion.
Globally, the restaurant’s move will likely influence others, signaling that plant-forward cooking can thrive within a broader framework of choice and adaptability.
The future of food lies not in purism but in thoughtful progression, as fine dining continues to shape conversations not only around the table, but on the world stage. The message is clear: the best way to inspire change is to keep the door open, for every palate and every possibility.
