Vegetarian Menu Items at Restaurant and Quick Service Chains
Many of us find ourselves standing in line at the nearest fast food joint may wonder whether the food we are about to eat is Halal. With fast food, the answers are not so cut and dried. It is not simply an issue of avoiding pork or meat. For example, there may be bread and vegetable products fried in animal fat. This is why it's a good idea to choose a purely vegetarian or vegan diet if you have to eat at a fast food place. Vegetarians are people who do not eat meat, fish, or poultry. Vegans are even stricter. In addition to being vegetarian, they do not use other animal products and byproducts (i.e. eggs, dairy products, honey, leather, fur, silk, wool, cosmetics, and soaps derived from animal products). Below is an introduction and quick index of vegetarian and/or vegan products at some of the fast food outlets. It is compiled by the Vegetarian Resource Group and we are posting it here with their permission.
By Jeanne-Marie Bartas
Food served in restaurant and quick service chains has become a mainstay in the North American diet. Vegetarianism is also becoming increasingly popular. Where do these two trends meet?
We surveyed over one hundred fast food, casual theme dining, and family-style restaurant chains as well as several quick service food chains to find out the current answer to this question. Over seventy-five chains responded with intent to show that their establishments can be vegetarian- and vegan-friendly. We were pleasantly surprised to find out about all of the menu items that are suitable for vegetarians and vegans. In general, we may say that many chains are becoming more health conscious as lowfat or fat-free menu offerings gain popularity. Many of these menu items are vegetarian or can be easily modified to become vegetarian. We are pleased to report that one chain, Subway, with over 13,000 locations worldwide, has earned the right to use the "Five a Day for Better Health" logo of the Produce for Better Health Foundation. Subway menu items, several of which are low in fat and 100% of which contain vegetables, meet the rather strict standards of that organization. We encourage other chains to follow the lead and hope that vegetarian consumers will support those chains which offer healthy, vegetarian meals.
We were happy to learn about the many restaurant chains which are seriously test marketing vegetarian items in selected regions with the hope of adding new items to their national menus. Although we are not throwing all caution to the wind, we can say that a visit to many restaurant chains can make for a satisfying eating experience for vegetarians and vegans alike.
Sometimes, vegetarian or vegan dishes are offered on the menus. Yet even if they are not, it is possible to order menu items without certain ingredients; you just need to ask. For instance, otherwise vegan tacos and pizzas can be ordered without cheese at some restaurant chains that serve these foods. Furthermore, many restaurants would be happy to make specially requested items for guests. For example, Eat n'Park Restaurants, which previously had a vegetable stir-fry on their menu but removed it due to low consumer interest, would prepare the dish on request.
Nevertheless, the vegetarian and vegan should be wary about "hidden" ingredients (such as gelatin in guacamole or a Danish), or objectionable preparation methods (such as frying hash browns in the same oil used to fry meat/seafood products). It is always best to ask at a particular restaurant. If the given answer is not satisfactory, try calling the corporate headquarters. Ask the manager at the particular restaurant for the phone number.
Likewise, if you are happy with a vegetarian or vegan meal at a restaurant chain or have suggestions on how a restaurant menu can be made more veggie-friendly, please let the manager or corporate headquarters know! Without a demand for vegetarian or vegan options, restaurants remove these offerings from their menus. This happened recently in the case of Denny's which eliminated a vegetarian burger from its menu due to low sales volume.
During the research for this update, we were glad to learn from quality assurance managers of several restaurant chains that many individual consumers contact them for information about their menu offerings. Thus, several chains had already conducted research into their ingredients by contacting their ingredient suppliers. As a result, many responses to us were ready-made. This shows that individuals can and do make a difference.
The most notable example of this occurred in the case of Wendy's. During a phone conversation, a nutrition specialist informed us that an individual recently called to inquire about the gelatin in the Reduced Fat/Reduced Calorie Garden Ranch Sauce. The nutrition specialist told us that because of this inquiry, she contacted the supplier and requested that the gelatin be taken out of the sauce. The supplier agreed to the request. The new sauce should now be available in Wendy's restaurants.
When you talk to a customer service representative or a quality assurance manager about the sources of an ingredient, such as natural flavors or mono- and diglycerides, you are educating people about the concerns of vegetarians and vegans. You are helping the next person who inquires about that ingredient, too.
Many restaurant chains are now exploring the use of ingredients that are at the same time economical and acceptable to all guests, including vegetarians and vegans. For instance, during the research for this update, we learned that almost all restaurant chains use all-vegetable shortening for frying. A few use an animal-vegetable shortening blend. Many quality assurance managers told us that the avoidance of animal fats in their recipes and preparation methods was now standard due largely to consumer demand. Although this is not yet a universal preference, we are happy to report it.
The same may be said about the use of animal-derived enzymes in cheese. Two cheese suppliers and at least three quality assurance managers at restaurant chains told us that a microbially-derived enzyme is currently the enzyme of choice in domestically produced cheeses. We were informed that microbial enzymes are more economical and more efficient at making cheese than their animal counterparts. Keep in mind that animal enzymes are still in use. This is true especially in the case of imported cheeses. Nevertheless, their use in cheese making has been reduced. Of course, we hope that a good-tasting vegan cheese will be an option in the future.
Restaurant chains are realizing the importance of responding to the needs of vegetarians and vegans. For example, Carl's Jr. restaurants asked The VRG to prepare a list of ingredients that are of concern to vegetarians and vegans. They would like to further research the sources of their ingredients so as to serve better their vegetarian and vegan guests. Burger King also asked us to prepare a similar list for the same purpose. Although these requests do not guarantee that restaurant chains will make changes in their ingredients or menus, they represent a first step toward this result.
Some chains are testing vegetarian options in a few of their restaurants. Shoney's, for example, has recently started to test market a vegetarian burger. Burger King has been testing a veggie burger in parts of Canada since October 1996. Burger King continues to have a veggie burger available in its British, Irish, and European restaurants. If you are in any restaurant where a vegetarian or vegan option is being offered, show your support and try it! This is the primary way by which we can keep vegetarian and vegan options on the menus or put them there in the first place. Perhaps one day there will be an all-vegetarian or all-vegan national restaurant chain.
Please use this guide to restaurant chains as a guide. Menus and ingredients do change, sometimes suddenly and without well-publicized notification. If you see something which you believe is incorrect, please let us know. We will look into it. Likewise, if you notice that something is missing, please let us know. We will add it to the next update. Bon appetit!