Kommune: Successful vegan restaurant from Manchester to launch new venue at popular Sheffield food hall

The team behind a popular restaurant donning the slogan ‘vegan food envy’ has outlined their exciting plans to open in one of Sheffield’s popular food halls.

Since 2017, Herbivorous has grown from a converted horse box that toured around UK festivals, to owning several branches in the north of England. Now the owners have revealed the date they begin trading in Kommune, on Angel Street, in Sheffield city centre.

For Robyn Marsh, aged 33, and her partner Damian Myles, 40, it’s not the first time they will have been in Sheffield, after previously trading from the now-closed HeartCure Collective, in the city centre, in the summer of 2018 and 2019.

Robyn, a soon-to-be mum-of-two, described the vegan community in Sheffield as a “nice, close-knit group”.

She said: “We made a big effort to integrate with the vegan community there, and we are lucky enough to be going back to customers and friends that remember us being there.

“We are really excited. Kommune has been on our list ever since we started thinking about expanding to other cities. We were regularly contacting them to see about opportunities. It’s got lots of exciting plans to come for summer 2024.”

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Kommune will be welcoming Herbivorous from Tuesday, May 14, with trading hours to be confirmed.

Herbivorous describes its food as “exciting, modern vegan comfort food that’s better for you and better for the planet”. All its meat substitutes, including seitan and beef burgers, are produced in house at the flagship store in Withington making it all unique to the brand.

Their dishes take inspiration from North America with lots of comfort food, fried chicken, loaded mac and cheese, burgers and philly cheesesteaks. Robyn described it as a “nice gateway” into trying vegan cuisine.

Herbivorous has its flagship store on Wilmslow Road in Withington, plus one in York. They originally opened at a former award-winning food venue called Hatch in Manchester which unexpectedly closed in September last year.

Its closure proves what is a difficult time for the hospitality industry. Robyn, who lives near Stockport, said: “Everyone was evicted at the last minute from there. That was our best site… 

“It’s been a really rough six months and seeing the changes across the industry, like the cost increases, I can absolutely see how lots of venues are struggling in this climate.

“It’s been paramount since Manchester closed for us to open another venue. Having small profits across each site and having more venues gives us added stability.”

Herbivorous will officially open at Kommune on Tuesday, May 14. Robyn and Damian will be at the site for its first weeks of trading while the new team settles.

The couple are currently accepting applications for the new venue. This includes two part-time kitchen team members, and one kitchen supervisor. To find out more, or to apply, please click here.

Follow Herbivorous on Instagram @herbivorousfood, and on Facebook at facebook.com/HerbivorousFood.