Vegans..or vegetarians.. What would you do in this situation?

Question

Sometimes I go to this family restaurant in my town. The last few times I went there..I ordered the rosa marina soup..Which is basically like vegetable soup. Every time I go there I ask them if there's any beef or chicken broth because I'm vegan. I always trusted/believed my waiters because they seemed honest..and I always got the same answer..that it was vegan. Well, I took my grandmother to lunch today.. I asked my waitress today if the rosa marina soup has beef or chicken broth because I'M ALLERGIC.. Well today she said yes, it's beef but i'll ask the cook just in case...sure enough it has BEEF broth. GROSS! They're lucky I didn't blow the place up because I seriously like turn into the hulk or something when I'm lied to about what's in my food haha. There's nothing more disgusting than eating meat..and I'm seriously disgusted that waitresses would lie because I said i'm vegan..then tell me the truth if i'm allergic. Should I call the manager tomorrow or what? I'm so mad.

Answer 1

just chill, if there was a animal biproduct it will eventually pass through your system, whats done is done.  next time just order like a salad

Answer 2

You have every right to be enraged. The person who brought up the analogy of giving pork to a Muslim makes a good point. I consider my beliefs and morals regarding animal cruelty to be close to religious beliefs as far as their priority in my life... I have invested a lot of mind and heart in the issue of animal cruelty, and am a conscious vegan. So, when I find out that someone has lied or provided misinformation about animal products in my food, I get really upset.

Situations similar to what you've described have happened to me enough times now that I rarely eat at mainstream restaurants, and when I do, I usually order salad without dressing, to be sure it's vegan. Chicken and beef broth, as well as animal fats, are in things you would never even imagine, which is frustrating to try to keep track of. For example, years ago, at California Pizza Kitchen, I used to order a pasta dish which several waiters had assured me was vegetarian. Then one time when I went in I told the waitress I was vegetarian when asking about an appetizer, and then when I went on to order the pasta dish she said, 'oh, but you know that has chicken stock in it, right?' Yep, chicken stock in the pasta sauce. Is that really necessary??!

I'm so afraid of 'regular' restaurants now that I rarely order anything other than plain salad, for fear that it has some hidden animal c**p. Some veg. friendly restaurants will state on the menu that a soup is vegetarian based, or vegan - in which case I will trust them. Since becoming vegan, I've learned that it's easiest to feign a milk allergy or lactose intolerance to ensure that the wait staff actually check if your food contains milk, cheese or butter. Usually if you explain the real reason, they treat you like you're crazy or an idiot.

Here's a good tip: if you know you're going to eat at a restaurant ahead of time, bring your own bottle of salad dressing in your purse :) People may make fun of you, but who cares! The joke's on them :)

Answer 3

I am not vegan or vegetarian... But I would be soooooooo mad!!! There are some things that I do not eat or drink because of principles or because I find it disgusting, so I kind of understand you...

I would call the manager and maybe even mention some law suit (just to scare him and so they will take you seriously - but don't sue of course). Say that you are very upset, ask for the money of all your meals back, tell them they are lucky you are being nice to them. Don't say that the main reason is that you think meat is disgusting, but mention your principles and how you were raised to not eat meat ever. An suddenly you broke all your rules and principles because of their lies...

I would make a big drama so they will not do that again to someone else. That will also help you feel better :-)

Answer 4

Unfortunately, I have come to realize that you are taken more seriously when you say it's an allergy, so that's what I've taken to doing. It's sad that I have to do that, but it's better than being lied to. I would call and complain! Good luck

Answer 5

I would definitely contact the manager if I were you. They should know that their customer was mistreated, repeatedly. I would also consider contacting the local newspaper if you feel compelled. It is helpful to other vegetarians to know what restaurants are vegetarian-friendly, and which are not!

Answer 6

i'd be pissed to you've been lied to everytime you go there i'd go back to talk to the manager im not a vegan or vegetarian at all but i am allergic to dairy and if i went to a restaurant that lied to me about not having dairy products in it and it did i'd  go hulk on them too

Answer 7

You have every right to be mad - it's a really bad double standard. If some one lied to a Muslim about something having pork in it and they found out, they'd probably be labeled racist. You should definitely call the manager tomorrow. You need to explain (calmly) that the waitresses lied/was completely apathetic to you because of your very important personal belief - obviously because she didn't think anyone would find out like they would if you had an allergic reaction.

The manager might not care either, but its important that you let them know what they did wrong and how upset you are - just don't rant or rave because they'll stop listening.

Answer 8

I can understand why you would be upset.  Is there a chance that your servers in the past were simply ignorant to the meat in the soup and did not intentionally lie to you?  When you told them about an allergy they went the extra mile to find out about it because they did not want a health issue.  I would not eat there in the future, and I would call the manager/owner and make your complaint known.  BTW, I am not a vegetarian or vegan, but I do respect people's dietary choices.  Bottom line, they were wrong and disrespectful to you.

Answer 9

Just don't go back.  Family restaurants don't have the best track record for truly vegan options, unless you just wanna eat lettuce.

If you want to complain to the manager, then go for it.  It probably won't do much, though.  Managers usually don't care, even if they pretend like they do.  If you want to really go extreme with it, you can sue them (as vegetarianism is protected as a "belief", and you'd probably win a suit against them)... But frankly, most of the staff in those restaurants honestly don't know - it could be an honest mistake.  So unless the manager thinks it important enough to educate them on the ingredients of everything, it's not gonna change much.

But really, there's no reason to go that far.  It's a family restaurant (I'm imagining booths, ugly patterned carpeting, old people eat biscuits and salad with grilled chicken on it, etc...)... you had to expect it.  Most people who go to those restaurants don't care about such things, so the restaurants don't, either (most don't even think about it).  So you just have to expect they'll throw something in there without considering whether it'll be "vegetarian/vegan friendly".

The only time I ever go to such restaurants is, like you, with my grandmother.  I'm only vegetarian, but I always order a salad - no cheese (rennet, and certainly non-organically raised), no croutons, no dressing (unless they have *just* oil and vinegar), etc...  Because it's really common knowledge that, if you're vegetarian or vegan, that's the only thing you can eat in such a restaurant.

Answer 10

I would be furious!  And there would be no way I would be able to keep my mouth shut in that place after I found out there was beef in the soup.  Call the manager, call the corporate office, call anyone and complain.  I think it is disgusting that people lie about meat being in foods when they know someone is a vegan or a vegetarian.  Good luck.

Answer 11

Yes I would call the manager and complain. It can't harm you any and you may even be able to get your money back or have the dumb waitress fired.

Answer 12

It's horrible that this happened, and  I hope they didn't mean to give you incorrect information.  I have had this happen many times at restaurants. Maybe they didn't understand that by asking if it was vegan, you wanted to know if it contained  ANY animal byproducts- I hope this is the case, and that they intentionally give you false information.

I  think it's a good idea to call the manager to set them straight, and explain how serious this mistake was.  What if you WERE allergic to beef or chicken broth and got ill !! <<possible lawsuit>>

Answer 13

i would DEFINITELY contact the manager as well as the manager's supervisor (usually a regional manager).  there is a good chance the manager won't care, but it's rare that a regional manager would take something like that lightly.  the more people you inform of the situation the more likely you are to see results, whether that is a refund or better education for the servers on special dietary needs.  i definitely would not go to that restaurant in the future since they have obvious disregard for the requests of the customers who are paying for meals there.  

that is APPALLING, though.  it's amazing how people don't care whether they're lying to you or not unless they think it's something that could kill you.  i've never lied in a restaurant to make sure that my food is meat free, but after hearing all of the stories on here i might start doing so.  

i think it would be more understandable if ONE waiter/waitress had screwed up, but the fact that this happened repeatedly is unacceptable.