Blimpie

Webmaster note: I recently discovered a few posts saved as drafts that were inadvertently never published to the blog. These were drafted from August to September, 2007.



Hello,
I would like to visit your restaurant. Can you tell me what menu items are vegan (no animal products)? While I appreciate very much that ingredients are listed on your site, some may or may not be of animal origin (L-cysteine, enzymes, sodium stearoyl lactylate), so I'm hoping you might be able to clarify. Thank you for taking the time to determine this, your help is greatly appreciated.
Best,
Erin

Blimpie response:
Mr.[sic] Thompson,
Thank you for sending us your feedback. If you could please contact the corporate office at 866-4-KAHALA or email Jennifer Garnatz at jrgarnatz@kahalacorp.com.
Jennifer is in charge of all nutritional information for all of our brands, she will gladly help you with your inquiry.
Thank you for taking the time to send us your feedback.

Sincerely,
Kristen Nardini
Operations Coordinator

My email(#2) to Jennifer:

Hello Jennifer,
I was given your name by Kristen Nardini, who told me you might be able to help me. Can you tell me what menu items are vegan (no animal products), including your breads, etc? While I appreciate very much that ingredients are listed on your site, some may or may not be of animal origin (L-cysteine, enzymes, sodium stearoyl lactylate), so I'm hoping you might be able to clarify. Thank you for taking the time to determine this, your help is greatly appreciated.
Best,
Erin

Jennifer's response (#2):
Hello,
After reviewing the ingredients for our breads, they do contain the ingredients which you have listed below. The Ciabatta bread and the Wraps do contain enzymes used in the manufacturing process. In addition, the veggie sub patty that we use is a vegetarian item, but not vegan. Let me know if there are any further questions.
Please and Thank You,
Jennifer Garnatz
Kahala Cold Stone
9311 E. Via De Ventura
Scottsdale, AZ 85258

Jennifer is pleasant, but rather than answering my question, confirms the information in my email to her. Considering how frequently I'm seeing this, I'm wondering if confusing the issue or not answering the question I asked is just some tactic to induce frustration with the hope I'll give up. Most consumers would. My reply (#3):
Hello Jennifer,
Thanks for your response. I am aware the ingredients mentioned are present in their respective products. My question is whether these ingredients are from an animal source. I am asking because these are food additives that may or may not be from an animal source. Can you please tell me whether the L-cysteine, enzymes, sodium stearoyl lactylate in your menu items are vegan?
Thanks,
Erin

Jennifer relents and addresses my question, but takes the easy way out, unfortunately. Reply (#3):
Erin,
I cannot confirm that they are or are not. The nutrition facts label for these products (breads) do not state that they contain egg or milk, but I cannot be 100% positive that they are not from an animal source.
Please and Thank You,
Jennifer Garnatz
Kahala Cold Stone
9311 E. Via De Ventura
Scottsdale, AZ 85258

If Jennifer is in charge of nutritional information for Blimpie, I find it absurd she does not have this information available and is not willing to pursue it. I wrote back (#4)to Kristen Nardini, who first referred me to Jennifer, with my conversation with Jennifer included:
Hello Kristen,
Unfortunately Jennifer Garnatz, to whom you referred me regarding my question regarding the source of some ingredients found in your menu items, was unable help me (our email exchanges follow). Is there someone else who can? I cannot imagine a company making it so difficult for a potential customer to patronize your restaurants. I remain hopeful someone can address my question satisfactorily.
Thanks,
Erin
[forwarded conversation here]
 
Verdict: no menu items have been determined to be vegan.

Papa John's

Webmaster note: I recently discovered a handful of posts saved as drafts that were inadvertently never published to the blog. These were drafted from August to September, 2007.


Hello,
Can you tell me what menu items are vegan (no animal products)? From your website's nutritional area I can only determine if certain things are or are not present in your foods, but without seeing an ingredient list I cannot determine what products have no animal ingredients in them. Your help is greatly appreciated.
Best,
Erin

Papa John's reply #1:
Thank you for your comments. I will forward them on to the appropriate people for review.
Have a great day!
Sincerely,
Consumer Services Team

Eight days pass. My follow up (#2):
Hello,
Still waiting to here back from some one regarding which menu items can be ordered or modified so as to be considered vegan (no meat, dairy, cheese, animal derivatives of any kind). Someone's help in this matter would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Erin

Chuy's

Another guest post from Brenna:

From: Brenna
Date: March 12, 2012 11:39:39 AM CDT
To: xxx
Subject: Vegan Items at Chuy's

Thanks for writing in. We offer some great items that don’t contain any animal products. I’ve gone ahead and attached the menu here.



Please keep in mind you can always speak with the manager on duty about any concerns or questions you might have.

Thanks and we’re looking forward to offering you and your friends some delicious and ‘safe’ Tex-Mex!

Love,

Chuy

________________________________________

Chuy’s Vegan Menu

www.chuys.com



Sauces

Ranchero

Tomatillo



Appetizers

Chips and salsa

Crispy chips and fresh salsa

Guacamole

Blend of fresh avocados and Salsa Fresca

Nachos (without cheese)

Tostada chips layered with refried beans, jalapenos, lettuce, tomato

Special Nachos (without cheese)

Tostada chips layered with refried beans, jalapenos, lettuce, tomato, with guacamole and pico de gallo



Salads

Mexi-Cobb Salad (without chicken or cheese)

Green chiles, avocados & tomatoes on a bed of fresh, mixed salad greens

Dinner Salad

Tomatoes, cucumbers and fresh, mixed salad greens



Dressings

Cilantro Vinaigrette



Sides

Corn, Flour, Blue Corn, Wheat Tortillas

Mexican Rice

Green Chile Rice

Refried Beans

Charro Beans

Tacos, Sopapillas, Burritos, Enchiladas

Guacamole Tacos (without cheese)

Handmade flour tortillas with lettuce, pico de gallo & guacamole. Served with your choice of Mexican rice or green chile rice & refried or charro beans.

Bean Tacos (without cheese)

Handmade flour tortillas with lettuce, cheese, pico de gallo & guacamole. Served with your choice of Mexican rice or green chile rice & refried or charro beans.

Bean and Cheese Burrito (without cheese and with above sauces)

A homemade, 12” flour tortilla stuffed with refried beans and served with your choice of sauce, Mexican rice or green chile rice

Veggie Enchiladas (without cheese and with above sauces)

Spinach, onions, zucchini, yellow squash, red bell peppers, serranos, roasted green chiles, and corn in homemade blue corn tortillas with Ranchero sauce

Pei Wei

Guest poster Brenna shares her experience interacting with Pei Wei regarding the vegan status of their food, an example of an all-too-common occurrence facing vegan diners.


Brenna writes -

Here's some info to add to their list of items marked "vegetarian."

The conversation started with me complimenting them and thanking them for modifying vegetarian menu items to be vegan. (I have an allergy to dairy, and so it's extra important to me to make sure my food is vegan, or I will get sick.)

They responded...

PEI WEI: We actually do not claim any of our food is vegan friendly.

ME: "Vegetarian" would imply that you all do not use animal additives in the products. As long as the products also do not contain dairy or egg, then they are vegan. If you use animal additives but no meat, it is still not vegetarian in any case.

PEI WEI: There are a few reasons why we do not claim our food is vegan. The first is the sugar. Most processed sugar is not vegan, and the second are our woks. We cook all our dishes in the same woks, and we do not have a dedicated wok for just vegetables and/or tofu dishes.

ME: Refined sugars which use animal bone char are not vegetarian, either. Vegetarians eat no animal products or additives but include dairy, egg, and honey. Do those products marked "vegetarian" include sugar made from bone char?

PEI WEI: We are checking for complete accuracy, but we are fairly certain that the sugar is standard refined sugar.

ME: Then it isn't vegetarian or vegan. Thank you for checking.


I try not to sound rude when talking to restaurants about their food and ingredients, but this irritates me. Sometimes it seems like people purposefully try to be oblivious to the fact that vegetarians and vegans don't eat any part of an animal's body or anything that touches part of a dead animal. Sugar is refined through bone char from animals, which makes it neither vegetarian nor vegan. I am by no means a "perfect" vegan, but I don't like false claims made to entice people to buy a product. :/

Razzoo's

Another post from guest author/investigator Brenna! *round of applause*

Here's my conversation with Guest Relations:
A co-worker’s birthday is today and we have a party of ten or so planning to visit your Arlington location. Can you please let me know what menu items are vegan, or could be made vegan? (Vegans do not eat any meat, seafood, honey, eggs, dairy products, or animal derived ingredients.)

After reviewing your menu, I see the Chopped Salad could be made vegan upon removing the bacon, eggs, and cheese. Do you all have oil and vinegar or any other salad dressings which are vegan? Are there any other options?

Guest Comments Razzoo's [mailto:comment@razzoos.com]
We believe the Chopped Salad as you describe with oil and vinegar is the most suitable option.


Verdict: Nothing really substantial. and no apparent wilingness to work with me. The salad is $8 with tax. Since it's so expensive, I ended up eating something else beforehand.

Rockfish Seafood Grill

The following posts come to you courtesy of awesome reader Brenna, who kindly shares her correspondence with several restaurants for the benefit of others. Brenna did a GREAT job and I'm so pleased to add her work to the archive here!

From Brenna:

My conversation with Guest Relations:
I am interested in dining at Rockfish to find more restaurants suitable for both vegans and omnivores.

I am vegan and allergic to dairy. I eat no animal products (no dairy, egg, meat, fish, honey, lard, or other animal additives.) What options would I have at Rockfish? I am interested in your House Salad. Is the Fat Free Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette free of dairy and other animal products? Do your black beans contain lard? Can your mixed veggies, sweet potatoes, roasted potatoes, and grilled asparagus be made without butter?

I encourage you to offer more meatless items at Rockfish. With vegan options on your menu, you will “hook” those of us who do not eat animal products, and also bring in those who do. My boyfriend is not vegan, and we are always looking for more restaurants which are suitable for both of our tastes. Including vegan items will be a huge boon to your business. Your menu already includes many items which can be combined to create delicious vegan entrees. You will find that fresh vegetables are inexpensive, and you probably already stock many veggies in your kitchen. We vegans will appreciate the meatless options and frequent your restaurant for tasty vegan meals, and bring along our non-vegan family and friends who will enjoy your other offerings.

Thank you sincerely for your help.


Response from Matt Baum, Corporate Chef and Culinary Operations Manager:
I just received your email questions via our Guest Relations site and have the answers for you. Our Rockfish House Salad without the Candied Pecans would definitely be an option. The Fat Free Sun-dried Tomato Vinaigrette and Black Beans are clear also. All of our Vegetables (Broccoli, Carrots, Spinach, Asparagus, Squash, and Corn on the Cob) can be prepared without butter. We can also do Grilled Sweet Potatoes or Boiled New Potatoes. I hope this will help make a great meal for you. Thank you for your questions and comments about our food and please let me know if you need any more information. I will look into other non-meat options and maybe in the near future be able to add that item to our menu. Thank you and I hope the birthday celebration goes well.

I ended up ordering the House Salad (as described), black beans, and sweet potato medallions. I spent about $12 and was pleasantly full. The sweet potatoes were cooked PERFECTLY. I really enjoyed my meal at Rockfish, and I will definitely go back.

Important opportunity

Compassion Over Killing has launched a campaign to encourage Subway to offer vegan meat analogues, such as Tofurkey's deli slices. Go to their We Love Subway page to voice your support! This is a rare opportunity for vegans to be heard as one massive voice, pushing for change in a very competitive market.

If you're worried about giving up your email address for potential spamming, go get yourself a free spamgourmet account. Quite handy.