I was impressed to find a dietitian was consulted to answer my question - presumably a benefit of having the budget of a national chain, but nonetheless a great example for other less-helpful national chains. Their answer is comprehensive and demonstrates a knowledge of the issues associated with dining out vegan.
Hello,
I would like to visit your restaurant. Can you tell me what menu items are vegan (no animal products)? Thank you for taking the time to research this.
Best,
Erin
Chili's response:
August 10, 2007
Dear Ms. xxx,
Thank you very much for taking the time to send us an email and for your interest in
Chili's. Our corporate dietitian has compiled the list below of Chili's vegan/vegetarian menu suggestions. Please be aware that none of our food items are certified vegetarian. Additionally, many of our recipes contain meat, fish, egg and dairy products and normal kitchen operations involve the sharing of cooking and preparation areas, including common fryer oil. Therefore, it is possible for any food item, including French Fries and/or Chips, to come into contact with animal products during preparation and/or cooking processes.
Based on our supplier information, the vegan items you may consider are as follows:
Corn Tortillas
Salad without cheeses, meats, fried tortilla strips or croutons (choose dressings below only)
Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
Low-fat Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
Pico de Gallo
Salsa Picante
Rice
Guacamole
Black Beans
Steamed Veggies – Corn on the Cob, Broccoli, and/or Fresh Veggies (request no oil or butter)
Sliced Tomatoes, Onions and/or Bell Pepper (raw)
Marinara Sauce
Kiddie Wheat Bun
** Please note that our Black Bean burger is not vegan friendly and contains dairy
ingredients (patty).
On your next visit to Chili's, please speak with a manager about your dietary restrictions to ensure that your meal is carefully prepared with your needs in mind. We hope that you are able to choose a meal to your liking and look forward to serving you soon.
Chili's
Guest Relations
Ref # 671685
The verdict:
Corn Tortillas are vegan
Salad without cheeses, meats, fried tortilla strips or croutons are vegan
Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing is vegan
Low-fat Vinaigrette Salad Dressing is vegan
Pico de Gallo is vegan
Salsa Picante is vegan
Rice is vegan
Guacamole is vegan
Black Beans are vegan
Steamed Veggies – Corn on the Cob, Broccoli, and Fresh Veggies are vegan ordered without oil or butter
Chili's was very helpful and quick to reply to my request, and provided a thorough response to my question.
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Do you like asking, "what's vegan?" No you don't.
About Me
Disclaimer
Note that any time you allow someone else to be responsible for your diet, by preparing food for you, cross contamination with animal products is a risk. Some following a vegan lifestyle may choose not to dine out for this reason. I provide this blog as a guide to making the best possible food choices for those who do, and the full text of correspondence to enable individual assessment of the claims as to the vegan status of any item. As a best practice and for health, cook at home for yourself! The cultural importance of the ritual of cooking and eating for oneself or one's family should not be underestimated.
The Question
I go straight to HQ in my best attempt to get definitive answers from the nation's most popular restaurants, seeking the answer to not only what's to eat that is vegan, but which restaurants are helpful, and which are making vegan life harder.
Labels
- Arby's (1)
- Blimpie (2)
- Bravo Cucina Italiana (1)
- Bravo Italiana Cucina (1)
- Buca di Beppo (1)
- Carrabba's Italian Grill (1)
- Chili's (1)
- Chipotle (1)
- chuy's (1)
- Claddagh Irish Pub (1)
- Fazoli's (1)
- Jimmy John's (1)
- Maggiano's Little Italy (1)
- Noodles and Co. (1)
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- O' Charley's (1)
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- P. F. Chang's (1)
- Panera Bread (1)
- Papa John's (1)
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- Qdoba (1)
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- Razzoo's (1)
- Rockfish Seafood Grill (1)
- Romano's Macaroni Grill (1)
- Subway (2)
- TGI Friday's (1)
- Uno Chicago Grill (1)
Progress Report
Resources
- Additives: Vegan or not?
- Community Walk Vegan and Vegetarian Restaurant Guide to the World
- Consumersist's "The Ultimate Chain Restaurant Nutrition Guide: Who Is Hiding Information About The Food, And Who Isn't."
- Fast Food Maps (Google Earth mashup)
- my del.icio.us vegan links
- Peta's guide to chain restaurants
Followers
8 comments:
Rice is not vegan, waitress says it's made with worstershire sauce!
Rice is not vegan, waitress says worstershire sauce is used to make it = anchovies
The black beans contain lard. I was told they were vegan too until I phoned Chili's and made them ask a chef who said that it did, in fact, contain lard. Gross.
I just had the Chili's black beans for lunch and now I am feeling sick and have a headache, after reading they contain lard there is no wonder I haven't had worse symptoms yet :( I am one sad vegan right now...
I worked at Chili's for a year and a half, and my manager insisted there were no animal products in the beans and rice (which I ate daily.) I'm going to be REALLY sad if that isn't the truth. =(
Well, you are half right. The beans are vegan, the rice is not vegan. I have worked at Chili's for several years and have prepped both items. Sorry you were misinformed.
Found this to be true as well
Are the tortilla chips that are served with the salsa vegan?
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