I love eating out and discovering different approaches people have to food. Since becoming a vegetarian, my appreciation for variety has grown. Along the way I’ve noticed some general patterns, both good and bad, regarding restaurants’ approaches to vegetarian diners and vegetarian food. Here are some pieces of advice for any restaurant owner/manager/chef who recognizes that we are a growing share of the market (somewhere between 4 and 10% self-defined vegetarians), and that health-conscious non-vegetarians don’t eat meat in every meal.
- Don’t write us off. We do like to eat out and we will be incredibly loyal if you provide us the opportunity to do so in your establishment.
- Provide us with options on your menu, and don’t relegate us to side dishes (ahem…Joseph’s) or salads. Some people will go along, but many will just not come back. We are not asking for you to provide only vegetarian options (though it would be nice if one or two in the Des Moines area did). We just want SOME options.
- If you stake your reputation on providing high-quality food and charge prices to match (Azalea, for example), respect yourself more than making your only vegetarian option (outside of appetizers and various cheese pizzas) some sort of generic “pasta with vegetables” dish. When I go to your restaurant I expect and deserve, just as your non-vegetarian patrons do, to enjoy creative and high-quality food. Don’t think that just because you put capers in the pasta with vegetables you are creating something special. Think outside the box and embrace the great variety available to vegetarian cooking. Of the restaurants in this genre, Dos Rios has done the best job of living up to expectations. There were at least a couple of great vegetarian (and vegan) options the last time I ate there. Their menu changes sometimes but hopefully this is still the case.
- Fish (and other seafood) is meat. We’re not operating with biblical definitions here.
- Don’t make soups like broccoli cheddar or other potentially vegetarian soups with chicken broth. This is something you can change very easily to open up at least another option for vegetarians on your menu. I know that some broths have different flavoring, but in my experience chicken broth is really not that different than vegetable broth, especially in rich or creamy soups where broth is not the focus of the flavor. If you do insist upon using meat-based broths in soups/sauces that might otherwise appear vegetarian, denote that on your menu.
- Do NOT use canned mushrooms. Ever. Sickos.
