Vigilance While Eating Out at Restaurants
Many times we eat at restaurants. How do we select our items of order there? We know about the sauce problems at Pizza Hut. But let us be fair and objective. We live in a society where meat eating is the norm, and very strict vegetarianism like ours is exceptional. Therefore, Pizza Hut is not the only place where we have to watch out. As listed below, many restaurants have a variety of challenges in store for us! The two most common problems and several others are indicated below in column “BEWARE!”
However, let us find our ways. Here is a guide to what to order, and/or how to order, when in doubt. Please understand that all the businesses continuously keep changing their recipe formulations, and therefore it can never hurt to ask before placing your order. In fact, we encourage that!
This list of popular restaurants was prepared by Bhairavi Talsania, San Diego, CA, with reference to book “Meatless Meals for Working People”, published by Vegetarian Resource Group. For more information, please call Debra Wasserman or Charles Stahler at (410) 366-8343. For regular updates of this information, subscribe to their bimonthly magazine, Vegetarian Journal.
More and more people are now abstaining from using dairy products on ethical, health, and/or ecological grounds. We urge you too to reduce, or preferably to completely eliminate them from your diets, for the same reasons. Use the guide below for making your choices.
| NAME | BEWARE! | VEGETARIAN | NOT EVEN DAIRY | COMMENTS |
| Arby’s | Beware # 2. Milk shakes include animal rennet. Buns include eggs. | Green salads, Pita Pockets. | Small side salad. | They use vegetable oil for frying foods. |
| Baskin Robbin’s | Egg Nog, French Vanilla, Vanilla, Custard, and Marshmallow flavors as well as cookies and cakes contain eggs. | Ices and Sorbets. | ||
| Burger King | Beware # 1. Buns may contain animal shortening. Bagels contain eggs. Snickers Ice Cream Bar contains gelatin. | Garden salad; Croissants; Blueberry muffins; Lemon, Cherry, and Apple pies. | Side salad. French, Reduced calorie Italian, and Oil and Vinegar dressings. | |
| Carl’s Jr. | They use vegetable shortening for most of the fried foods, but ask. | Zucchini. Baked goods contain no animal shortening. Macaroni. Pasta salads. | Bread sticks, hot dog buns, plain bun, flour tortilla, English muffin, Kaiser bun, all-you-can-eat salad bar. | |
| Denny’s | Beware # 1. Beware # 2. Veggie burger contains eggs. | Buttermilk biscuits, French toast, waffles, mozzarella sticks, cream of broccoli soup, grilled cheese sandwich and veggie cheese melt sandwich. | Garden salad no eggs. Buns are purchased locally, and may contain dairy. | |
| Domino’s | Beware # 2. The local recipe may contain eggs. | Domino’s crust recipes contain whey, and some other dairy derivatives. | Sauce. | |
| Hardee’s | Beware # 2. Egg and cheese biscuits. Gravy is sausage based. | Garden salad, pancake, cinnamon raisin biscuit, coleslaw, yogurt, crispy curls. | Side salad. | |
| NAME | BEWARE! | VEGETARIAN | NOT EVEN DAIRY | COMMENTS |
| Jack in the Box | Beware # 1. Secret sauce, Worcestershire sauce. Onion rings contain egg yolk. Cheesecake contains gelatin. | Italian dressing. Cinnamon Churritos. Reduced calorie French dressing. Croissant. Grilled sourdough bread. | English muffins, hamburger buns, sesame bread sticks, tortilla bowl (wheat), pita bread, gyro bread, guacamole, side salad, low calorie Italian dressing. Apple turnover. | The types of shortening used differ. They contain natural flavor from butter. |
| Little Caesars | Beware # 2. | Veggie sub sandwich. | Dough, tomato sauce, Crazy sauce, Crazy bread no cheese, Tossed salad, Greek salad no cheese. | |
| McDonald’s | Garden salad has eggs. All three Danishes have gelatin. Red French Reduced Calorie Dressing includes Worcestershire sauce, that includes anchovies. Big Mac sauce contains eggs. | Side salad, apple bran muffin, cereal. Chocolate chip cookies contain dairy. | Side salad, Lite vinaigrette dressing, McDonaldland cookies, apple pie. | They may cook in separate vats than those for meat, but ask. Call 1-800-524-5900 for more information. |
| Pizza Hut | Sauce for pasta and bread sticks contains beef base. Sauce for Crusted Stuff Pizza has chicken fat. All sauces contain cheese and animal derived enzymes. | Pan Pizza and bread sticks contain whey. Ask specifically for vegetarian sauce, when ordering. | Salad, Thin ‘N Crispy and Hand Tossed Crust, without any sauce. | Until recently, they made vegetarian sauce with beef base! |
| Shakey’s | Beware # 2. | Dough and frying oil are vegetarian. | Salad bar. Dough may contain dairy products. | |
| Subway | Wheat roll contains honey. | Veggie and Garden burger subs. | Salad. White Rolls. Soy cheese contains casein! | |
| Taco Bell | Beware # 2. Seven Layer Burrito contains dehydrated chicken meat, found in rice. | Guacamole contains sour cream. Heat Pressed Tortilla contains dry milk. | Corn and wheat tortillas, Light Heat Pressed Tortilla, cinnamon twists, hard and soft taco, Border Ice Products, regular and low-fat refried beans. Low-fat burritos. | |
| T.G.I.F. | Brown Rice Pilaf contain chicken base. | Garden burger has dairy in it. | Vegetable Medley without brown rice pilaf. Garden Cob Salad. | |
| Wendy’s | Beware # 1. Spanish Rice may contain animal flavorings. Fat-free French dressing contains honey. Italian Caesar dressing contains anchovy and eggs. Garden Spot Pasta salad contains eggs. | Wendy’s Superbar, refried beans. Flour tortillas, buns and croutons contain whey. Alfredo sauce. Deluxe garden salad and Side salad contain cheese. | Spaghetti sauce, Rotini, Taco chips, Taco sauce, Taco shells, Garden spot salad. Chow mein noodles. Dressings: French, Sweet Red French, Golden Italian, Reduced Calorie Italian. | “Super Bar” is one of the best among the fast food salad bars. |
Beware # 1: Many restaurants do not have (or enforce) a policy of using separate oil vats for frying vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods. Ask before ordering.
Beware # 2: Many restaurants lack a policy of using cheese made with microbial rennet only. Therefore the chances are, according to the market conditions, that you may end up eating cheese made with animal rennet. To be on safer side, order without cheese, if the employees do not have answers for sure.