Clintonville’s beloved vegan spot, Seitan’s Realm, hopes to expand soon, says owner Kevin Ridenbaugh.
Last week the food truck turned brick-and-mortar business got approval from the Clintonville Area Commission to take over the approximately 600-square-foot space next door. Within the next month it should get a green-light from the Columbus Board of Zoning Adjustment, he says. The move will allow the restaurant to expand its kitchen, menu options and seating availability.
He says he is also applying for a permit to create patio dining alongside the building.
Currently confined to a 300-square-foot kitchen space, the additional room will make it easier to prep their homemade seitan—a wheat-based meat substitute referenced in the restaurant’s punny namesake—and sauces. It will also present opportunities to experiment with new recipes.
“We’ll definitely be rolling out a few new menu items with our new expansion if it’s actually able to happen,” Ridenbaugh says. “So, we’re pretty excited about that.”
It will also add a gothic-themed dining space, which will raise its seating capacity from 24 to 48 people. Currently struggling to seat large parties, the restaurant aims to add two tables of eight. He hopes the space can be rented out for parties in the future.
A vegan for nearly a decade, Ridenbaugh was ahead of the curve in creating substitute meat. He says he strived to make vegan alternatives for meals he was missing after giving up meat.
“The reason why we started it was just because, at that time, a lot of the fake meat—like Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger—wasn’t a thing yet,” he says. “There was a huge void in vegan food.”
Whether its comfort deli-pub cuisine or horror-gothic decor, Ridenbaugh strives to show that veganism can exist outside of the healthy hippie box it’s often put in.
“When I first started, [veganism] was considered more of a hippie thing,” he says. “I wanted to help change people’s minds [about] what veganism could be. We didn’t want to play it safe.”
