I'm sure you can get a salad there

EvelynBfly78

I hear that a lot when I go out to eat with people that know I'm vegan. They have their own ideas on what being vegan means. If they want to know more I'll explain it to them. I'll give them a shortened version of health & ethical sides. But most of them have no clue. They think I only eat salad & tofu.
When I go out to eat I want to have something I don't make at home. How about you?

veganminecraft

yes I heard it quite often. Now that I have actually taken advantage of being able to tailor menus to suit me, people are less expecting of m e to get a salad. At outback steakhouse I was able to get a sweet potato with a side of asparugus, broccoli and mushrooms, which is actually enough food because a potato is calorie dense. A valuable skill to teach new vegans is being able to "alter the menu" a bit to suit them and also how to make passable meals out of sides.

Fig_1946

Steamed veggies or a baked potato and I'm happy!

jewelstam

I belong to a social group that eats out quite a bit at mostly omni high-meat restaurants. I have been so annoyed when they have told me that exact phrase before. Yes I know I can get a salad there...and usually still pay for the chicken, cheese, and eggs I ask them to remove. I have also been told that I don't have to order anything, I can just enjoy hanging out with the group while they eat. LOL After that I stopped going out with them as much.

I usually do tweak the menu and see if the restaurant will accommodate me. sometimes I have been happily surprised. Sometimes totally annoyed at their lack of ability. The worst dinner was when they brought me a plate of cooked pasta. Plain. No seasoning, sauce..nothing. They just dumped it from pot to colander to plate. I don't understand why it is so hard for "chefs" to come up with something that is vegan and tastes good.

I have started to carry around a small cooler with condiments when I go out...Soy creamer, Earth Balance, homenade cashew cheese, sometimes cream cheese or sour cream depending on where we are eating, homemade buffalo sauce, organic ketchup, malt vinegar, and other sauces (I don't do GMOs either, I am very difficult lol)

I don't take all of those with me at once! I pick and choose depending on where we are going, but it definitely helps make some places more palatable to have my own condiments.

But yes..when I go out to eat I want something I don't normally make at home!

flossyruby1

I'm still floored by how many chains don't have ANY options (hello, Applebee's?!? Are you listening???). I mean even at its most basic level, restaurants could offer a veggie burger sub. I know most of them are a garden burger which contain dairy, but it's better than nothing. I'm a flexible vegan. I'm a reasonable vegan. But it's hard to be that way when restaurants won't meet us in the middle.

Sweet_Pea4

Yes I recently went to a restaurant and asked if they had anything vegan and she said "yes", so I was rather excited. She said she has a lovely piece of Cod......oh lovely .........

Angryvegan

When I would go out to friends places for dinner, I always carried vegan condiments and other treats with me. I called it my vegan BBQ survival kit...

I get this soo much about eating salad only and it drives me crazy! That and, "you pick, you are the one with all the dietary issues/ can't eat anything" sigh.

Happy cow has been super helpful for me. In the end, it is rare I can't eat at any restaurants, but it is frustrating when the options get so limited. Sometimes if I know all I can get is a salad, I would eat before I went out. Then I don't go hungry... at the same time I prefer working with the restaurant to get a full meal. I don't want to be the person that makes everyone think vegans only eat salad!

jfp420

flossyruby1 wrote: »

I'm still floored by how many chains don't have ANY options (hello, Applebee's?!? Are you listening???). I mean even at its most basic level, restaurants could offer a veggie burger sub. I know most of them are a garden burger which contain dairy, but it's better than nothing. I'm a flexible vegan. I'm a reasonable vegan. But it's hard to be that way when restaurants won't meet us in the middle.

Applebee's is the worst. The other chains I can usually find something to work with.

MakePeasNotWar

What drives me nuts is when people say a place has "plenty of vegan options" and you get there and your "options" are side salad, side veggies, rice and potatoes. All good stuff, but when you say plenty of options, I expect entrees, or at least a few appetizers.

knitsteel

I went to Olive Garden recently and found nothing but the salad and plain pasta with marinara sauce, both loaded with salt. I will never go there again. They're as bad as Applebees.

flossyruby1

knitsteel wrote: »

I went to Olive Garden recently and found nothing but the salad and plain pasta with marinara sauce, both loaded with salt. I will never go there again. They're as bad as Applebees.

I think what really makes me shake my head is that these chain restaurants are clearly not paying attention to trends. I mean, they aren't even using popular buzzwords (sustainable, farm to table, kale) to make their items seem healthy even though they aren't healthy at all. But they aren't even trying to keep up with trends. In my mind, if you are willing to offer gluten-free items, at least make an effort and offer something vegan. I have found vegan cooking way more inventive, creative, and flavorful than when I cooked with meat and cheese. It's time restaurants that are stuck in the dark ages, like Applebee's, Olive Garden, and fast food to start listening. As an FYI, check out all the swaps you can do at Taco Bell to get a pretty good vegan meal. When I see places like this making a concerted effort, they have won my business.

leecha2014

When I go out to eat I now look over the whole menu and create my own dish. For example, if they have rice, veggies, avocados I create my own bowl and ensure little oil and no dairy. Hot sauce on the side, it's hilarious how often I do this. I am very nice about it as you never want to upset the cooks ( or servers)