When chef and entrepreneur Greg Brown decided to open a vegan restaurant his motivation was simple: “I’m a vegan, and it was hard to find places to eat in Baltimore.” What started as just a side hustle catering local events and providing meal preparation services turned into a staple food destination in the city of Baltimore. In January 2011, Greg along with his wife Naijha opened the Land of Kush in Baltimore’s Seton Hill neighborhood. The name of the restaurant is a reference to the ancient Nile Valley civilization: “I wanted to bring a modern awareness to ancient African culture,” says Mr. Brown. The theme of the restaurant’s menu primarily focuses on putting a vegan twist on traditional southern comfort food. The menu features vegetable-based dishes such as yams, kale, and cabbage, along with barbecued “ribs” and vegan “crab-cakes'' which are actually made of soy protein and seitan wheat. The children’s menu features smaller portions of their vegan “mac and cheese” and black eyed-pea fritters. Aside from serving these everyday menu items, the restaurant offers a weekend brunch menu and weekend specials such as curry chicken and jollof rice that cater to more African and Caribbean cuisine. Since its opening the company has achieved tremendous success, having reached over $1 million in annual revenue, received countless awards from the business community, and been featured in publications such as the Baltimore Sun, Black Enterprise, and Essence Magazine. Word has spread quickly, particularly through social media, about this burgeoning food institution, which oftentimes has visitors from the west coast and other countries.The restaurant has even hosted several celebrities as customers including Stevie Wonder, Carmelo Anthony, Danny Glover, ChloexHalle and numerous political dignitaries. The Land of Kush’s success has largely benefitted from the growing trend in vegetarianism and veganism in the United States. The vegetarian food industry is projected to be a $2 billion dollar industry in the U.S. alone, and is steadily growing. Approximately 13% of Americans identify as either vegetarian (6%) or vegan (7%). Over the past decade there has also been an increase in semi-vegetarianism or flexitarianism, meaning that consumers are increasingly trying vegetarianism on a temporary basis, whether for a day, week, or other sporadic timeframe. While some consumers are interested in vegetarianism because of moral concern regarding the raising and slaughtering of animals, others are more health motivated. Consumer spending and discretionary income has steadily increased since the Land of Kush’s opening, which has led to more spending on healthy food options in society as a whole. Part of the restaurant’s success is also due to its inclusive, welcoming nature. Although the restaurant consciously targets vegan and vegetarian consumers, they also engage and receive support from flexitarians. This in part can be attributed to the restaurant hosting “Meatless Mondays” once a month to encourage non-vegans to try their plant-based menu. The restaurant offers a 10% discount to employees-many of which are not vegans- of the hospital and state government buildings which are right across the street. There is a customer rewards program which offers discounts to repeat customers. Furthermore, every Monday the restaurant also hosts a free produce (fruits and vegetables) giveaway to provide for local residents who may not be able to afford their regular menu. Although when the restaurant first opened, it was one of very few vegan restaurants in the Greater Baltimore area, there are now more vegan options available such as the Golden West Cafe and One World Cafe. Major fast food chains such as McDonald’s and Burger King have also started to include veggie burgers and other vegetarian items in their menu. But despite this increase in competition, the Land of Kush is eyeing expansion in its future. They are currently preparing to sell their (frozen) vegan crab cakes in local grocery stores. They are also considering opening a new location in Los Angeles, with a slightly different menu, featuring items such as Vegan Tacos and a drive thru, as well as a location at Baltimore-Washington International Airport with a slightly scaled down-menu. Surely this company is on the path to scaling to an even higher level of success. Answer the questions below based on the information given in the article. Partial credit is given, answer as detailed as possible.
4)Describe two elements of a SWOT Analysis for The Land of Kush (i.e. what are the "O"and "T", or "S" and "W" relevant to the company).
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