VEGANS/VEGEATARIANS what would you do in this situation????

Question

Hello I am vegan and from a small town in WIsconsin so going vegan is just unheard of around here. Anyway there are times when I go out to eat and specifically order something without meat or dairy and no matter how many times I stress I don't want that stuff on my plate it sometimes comes anyway. What to you do if something is served to you with meat or dairy and you specifically asked not to have it. Do you send it back, do you eat it anyway because otherwise it will just be wasted? What do you say or do. Thanks

Answer 1

send it back

Answer 2

"Sorry, this is not what I ordered.  Thanks."

If I don't get what I want, I don't pay.

I make a very simple request, and if they cannot comply, no money for them.  If it is removing something from the dish, that means more money for them.  If it means going out of their way to make something that is not on the menu... I'll pay a bit more, sure, if it's worth it.

Actually, I'd probably never eat there in the first place.

Answer 3

I agree with c'est moi. Tell them that you're allergic to certain things and most likely you won't get it. No one wants a lawsuit on their hands or a dead guy.

I was on a plane and I asked for a vegetarian breafast and the lady gave me one with sausage. I told her she gave me the wrong thing. She went to the back and just took out the sausage and sent it back. I wish I knew then what I know  now. I would have definitely told her I was allergic to it.

Answer 4

Well, first off, I explain that I have special dietary needs. I give them a list of ingredients I cannot consume. I say it officially but also extremely politely. I let them know it is important but not why. I know vegans who do this but tell them the list is an allergy list because that is taken very seriously in the food industry. A restaurant does NOT want to be sued by accidentally giving someone something that could be fatal.

Calling ahead is a good idea as well. Showing gratitude for good service is a good idea too. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Send it back!!

Answer 6

Ask them what part of veg*an they don't understand,and leave.

NEVER send food back,and accept another meal.

Often its spat in,f*g butts added or snot or worse,Ive seen so many documentaries on that.

If a restaurant doesn't cater to you,vote with your feet,write to the owner suggesting they get few veggie dishes on menu.

Answer 7

I'm not vegan, but if I wasn't cooking for my family I probably would be.  My aunt, cousins, and many friends are vegetarian and some are vegan, so I am accustomed to cooking for them, and know how to tweak things for get-togethers.

That being said, I would send it back definitely, but do it nicely.  Being that you are from a place where your lifestyle is unusual, I like the idea of the "allergy" thing.  People are more inclined to pay attention if you are allergic to something, rather than if you just don't want it.

As long as you are polite and specific with your request, there is no reason you cannot get what you want.  But be sure to tell them specifically what you want, because people just don't know.

Some things they may not consider, or may not think to tell you:

Is the dish prepared with chicken/beef stock?

Make sure they clean the grill and use separate utensils before preparing your food because making the veggie burger on a regular grill that has meat drippings doesn't help you.

Most people aren't mean or inconsiderate, they just are in a busy mode when in a restaurant, and haven't considered where everything comes from.

Answer 8

If my food isn't as I ordered it, I politely send it back. Polite is the key word here, though.

Answer 9

I would send it back and leave too.  Unfortunately sending something back is a good way to get spit or worse in your food.

Answer 10

What to you do if something is served to you with meat or dairy and you specifically asked not to have it?

I don't eat it. I just leave it on the plate. Then if someone mentions the left overs, I just say I told you I did not want it. If you "waste" enough food this way and the message will sink in.

If worse comes to worse you could always pretend you are allergic to it and to eat it would seriously affect your health. Surely no-one will try to feed you food that may kill you. If I eat red meat or dairy I have an allergic reaction – I come out in a hot itchy red rash and my throat closes up and I can’t breath.  

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Answer 11

I send it back and leave. I don't accept it being redone because I figured they likely will mess with my order since they chose not to get it right in the first place. I don't pay for the meal since I didn't eat it.

EDIT: I used to work in the food industry. If you send back a dish because it has something on it which you asked not to be on it, then most times they simply remove the item and slightly arrange the rest of the food so that it appears to be a different meal. This means that traces of the food you didn't want is still on the plate and on the food, which isn't the same as it not having been there in the first place. This is why I don't accept a redone meal. And if they have a grudge against people who send back a dish or against vegans/vegetarians in particular, then they likely will mess with the order further.

Answer 12

Hello. I nknow how you feel. In my town I don't know of any other vegans, and vegetarians are scarce. For that reason I don't eat out very much at all and when I do it's usuall at a veggie joint. Either way, if I was to order something which sounded vegsn andit came with a side of mayo or something, I would as politely them to take it back.

Answer 13

i send it back.  

how do  they know your not allergic or will get sick from it (as you probably will anyway if you haven't eaten it in a while)?  they shouldn't do that to you .  it's not right. send it back and say you will get sick from it/allergic and can't eat it.

Answer 14

When you order, tell them you're DEATHLY ALLERGIC to whatever it is you don't want on your plate!

Answer 15

i give it back.

they'll throw it out and lose money and eventually learn.

Answer 16

I would send it back. It's got to be tough in small town WI (grew up in one, myself). Of course, I'd be scared of pissing folks off, but just be as sweet as honey about it. If you don't say anything, they won't learn that these things actually matter to folks who put in specific dietary requests...good luck!

Answer 17

I'm not a vegan or vegetarian, but this can apply to anyone who receives food that they specifically said not to include.  My mom is allergic to tomatoes, so she always tells the waiter/waitress no tomatoes, even if there are no tomatoes mentioned in the menu.  She does get tomatoes sometimes.  Just send it back.  They didn't give you what you ordered.  And you are not obligated to pay for something that you did not order.  A good idea is to say that you are allergic.