To be annoyed that vegan options have replaced vegetarian?

Agreed! It’s super annoying.. even quorn have done this with my old favourite sausages 😞 the new vegan version is not as nice.

Vegetarianism makes sense to me because I love veggies and lentils! I realise this is a minority view.

YABU because having a vegan menu and a normal menu captures everyone. Adding a third "vegetarian" menu would just be an unnecessary extra cost, especially since as you say you can still mix and match from both menus if you want to.

There isn't a law preventing people mixing things up a bit. There's nothing to stop a vegan ordering vegan cream substitute but a nice BLT with real mayonnaise if they wanted to. People can do what they want. Hell, I love meat and fish and dairy but even I could order something from a vegan menu if I wanted to.

I take the point that vegetarianism has been "trumped" by the explosion in veganism in recent years. Vegetarians are looked down on by both sides around them, perhaps ironically for the very same reason, that they are taking a stand against meat but not a stand against the meat industry. Whether you think farming animals for human consumption is fine, or wrongly believe it isn't, vegetarianism no longer makes any sense to most people.

Vegetarian with a nut allergy here, with a coeliac, and an egg allergy best friend.

Can't eat most of the naturally vegan cuisines because they tend to be nut heavy, and vegan food uses a lot of nuts to substitute for the fats/mouthfeel from eggs and dairy. Best restaurants to go to are ALWAYS italian. Usually do a gluten free pizza base for the coeliacs, pizza naturally egg free, not a lot of nuts in the main dishes and plenty of naturally vegan options. Can usually get a sorbet and convince them to pour limoncello over it for some dessert joy. Plus wine, potatoes and a side salad are always on the menu and we've survived many a day on those alone.

Also OP, back to your point, I am vegan and it would annoy me too if no vegetarian options. Vegan cheese is disgusting ;)

@September1013 My condolences!

But surely only if you eat out? Which I am assuming isn't all the time so you could still be a vegetarian if you wanted to be

YANBU to want nicer vegetarian options and have a meal you enjoy

However YABU to want all businesses to cater for every dietary requirement under the sun (unless it's a life or death allergy situation).

Everyone can eat a vegan meal but a vegan can't eat any other meal so it's easier and cheaper for restaurants to default to vegan to tick off the two customer bases. They are businesses at the end of the day, not a public service so they need to reduce over stock, food waste and make a profit on top

I don't understand why it's so hard for some restaurants to substitute normal cheese, mayo, cream etc. for the vegan rubbish.

I rarely eat vegetarian/vegan food as so much of it contains mushrooms which can make me ill. However I would love a veggie pizza but with real cheese but it's not possible in a lot of places.

Where does the calf go then? Did your neighbours send you the footage? Fair dos.

Oh god this. I’m not vegetarian but I like a lot of vegetarian food. I even like vegan food. What I don’t like is fake meat. It’s DISGUSTING. It’s also UPF

YANBU, I'm the same, and some vegan food is lovely, but others are vile, particularly the 'dairy' element. I've not found a nice vegan cheese. I've been refused vegan food before in a restaurant because they don't have the vegan 'mayo' element and won't serve it to me with the vegetarian alternative.

I blame Veganuary, veganism snowballed after the first one and there's a lot more choice of food, but much more vegan stuff as opposed to vegetarian.

YANBU at all. I appreciate this doesn’t look good on me but I was so excited when the McPlant finally came out after decades being veggie and so disappointed when the cheese wasn’t real. Same with the fake pepperoni pizzas at Papa Johns. Really annoying. I’m sure it’s also the case at more high brow establishments as well….

And before anyone says yes I do eat fake meat because it’s animals I don’t like eating not brown patties.

Even as an omnivore, I get where you're coming from. Sometimes I fancy a pizza with an interesting combination of veggie toppings that happens to not include meat, but now these often come with vegan 'cheese'.

A few times I've ordered vegan pizzas but with proper cheese, and so far 50% of the time they've come with the vegan cheese. Yes, the restaurant has always offered to remake it as ordered, and I effectively got two pizzas for the price of one, but (a) I didn't want two pizzas and (b) part of the reason I'm trying to eat less meat is to reduce the associated carbon emissions, but this doesn't work so well if I end up with two pizzas one of which goes in the bin. ☹️

@BetteDavisChin , I'm a vegetarian because I didn't like most meats. That's it.
I don't like most of the vegan substitutes for meat, and vegan cheese is rank.
People like you discourage me from becoming a vegan.

Isn't the cost of the food only something like about 10% of the actual cost of running a restaurant, though?

I've seen a few chefs (Tom Kerridge, I think?) mention that ingredients should be no more than 30% of the restaurant menu price as the other 70% is overheads and profit. But I've also seen mention of profit margins being higher on vegetarian and vegan options, which I can well believe since a meat burger and a Quorn burger seem to be the same menu price. Which is another reason not to eat them! (That and the fact that Quorn gives me an upset stomach...)

Haven’t read the whole thread but agree completely.

If the idea is that vegetarians can eat vegan food - well, so can meat eaters so why cater for them but not vegetarians?

Apparently it’s the No. 1 complaint that The Vegetarian Society get these days.

Stop lecturing people. You can be a vegan without being That Vegan who behaves like a pompous arse to anyone who has a different view from them.

Isn't the cost of the food only something like about 10% of the actual cost of running a restaurant, though?

Occupying a chair and table place in an establishment that is costing a lot to run (utilities, business rates staffing etc.) is still quite a significant cost to the business overall even before you order any food.

Looks like OP got exactly what she wanted anyway. Have fun OP, how sad.

Agree. We went on a cruise recently and there were some very good vegan options. But the options did seem to cover anyone that is vegetarian or dairy intolerant. I do understand it though it’s lazy catering as another poster said.

@BeaAndBen

Just check out menus before you eat there. If it’s so important that you don’t want certain foods, you would do that, it’s not hard. I’m sure some people just enjoy whinging and would be list without having shit like this to moan about.

I never said vegetarians should be happy about it🤷
Literally never have I said that.

What I pointed out is that small number of customers eat vegetarian and vegan in most places and that many restaurants made choice for cost control to make these vegan since both groups can eat them. Not some lazy thing banding together. Business financial decision. Same like it's business finacial decision to offer to majority customers choices, all of which sell. If pork dish won't sell, they will get rid from menu for example. It's not some emotional issue, it's financial. Restaurants are businesses. They sell stuff that makes them money.

When more people stop eating these doshes and feedback, it will force restaurants to move back to V and VE split.

My neighbours have a dairy farm, I know exactly where cheese comes from thanks.

I wouldn't mind as much if the vegan food on offer was proper food. There is so much amazing vegan food, delicious, wonderful textures, good protein. I've eaten in Buddhist restaurants and Sikh restaurants, and had some of the most delicious meals that even the meat-eaters enjoyed. But in so many places it's fakon all the way: fake meat, fake cheese, fake textures; ultra-processed fake foods.