Letting You Down Vegan And Again, Part 2

I was visiting my daughter in her hometown. We’d gone for a walk and were starting to get hungry. We were approaching a strip mall with several restaurants, including a well-known franchise place. My daughter is a vegan, so she did a quick search on her phone for the restaurant’s menu to see if they had anything she could eat.

Daughter: “Ooh, they’ve got some good-sounding stuff.”

Me: “Cool, let’s eat here, then.”

We went in, ordered some drinks, and made our dinner choices after perusing the menu some more. We also considered ordering appetizers, but we weren’t sure if my daughter could eat them, so we decided to ask the server.

Server: “What can I get you?”

Me: “Are the onion rings vegan?”

Server: “Uhhh, I guess. They don’t have meat.”

Me: “But does the batter have dairy or eggs in it?”

Server: “I dunno.”

I considered asking her to go check with someone else, but we weren’t that bothered about getting an appetizer, so I let it go.

Daughter: “I’d like the [vegan pizza], please.”

Server: “We don’t have that anymore.”

Daughter: “Oh. Then I’ll have the [vegan pasta dish], please.”

Server: “We don’t have that, either.”

Daughter: “How about the [vegan burger]?”

Server: “Nope.” *Snickers* “We got rid of all that vegan stuff. You’re better off without it, anyway. It was awful. No one liked it.”

The vegan ingredients used in those dishes were brand-name items that I’d used in my own cooking many times. They’re definitely not “awful”.

Daughter: “Do you have any vegan entrees?”

Server: “Uh, you can have a salad, I guess.”

Daughter: “I’m going to need a minute.”

Server: “‘Kay.” *Leaves*

Me: “Forget this. Let’s just pay for our drinks and go.”

Daughter: “Sounds good.”

So, when the server came back…

Me: “We’d just like the check, please.”

Server: “Oh. Sorry about that.”

Daughter: “It’s okay. Maybe you guys should update your menu, though?”

Server: “That’s not up to me.”

Me: “No, we realize that.”

I was thinking, “Your not-great attitude IS up to you, though.”

We got a great meal elsewhere, but I was still annoyed about the experience at [Chain Restaurant], so I emailed them. The reply I got back was something like this:

Representative: “We’re very sorry to hear about the experience you had at our restaurant. We would have been able to make almost any dish vegan for your daughter, and the server should have known that and told you so. If you come back, we’ll be happy to tell you all about our vegan options. Also, here’s a $50 off coupon for your next visit.”

I passed the email and coupon off to my daughter (since the restaurant is in her hometown, not mine). I’ll be curious to find out what her next visit is like.

Related:
Letting You Down Vegan And Again