Who is in the wrong - vegan or manager?

[iloverobbrydon]

A group of friends go into a pub that do food. One of them is vegan. She looks at the menu and sees that there are no V or VE signs on the menu at all. Even for items that clearly veggie and vegan, the pub don't use the signs. However, they do list the ingredients and a description of the meal under the meal title.

There are 2 or 3 vegan options. One of them is a pasta where the ingredients are listed as pasta, tomato, basil etc. And have a little description of the taste. No animal products listed at all so the vegan orders this.

The meal comes out and it has a fried egg on top of it. The egg was not listed in the ingredients so she sent it back explaining why.

The manager who took the order is not happy because she never actually said she was vegan and they arent mind readers. They come out and say if you can't eat certain foods then you need to tell the staff to make sure that those things are actually 100% ok for you to eat.

It does escalate into a bit of an argument because the vegan is saying well if you list your ingredients then how am I to know that you only list some ingredients and not others? Where on your menu does it say how your menu works and that you won't list everything? That's just confusing. Either list everything or nothing. The manager is saying if you need a meal to not have an ingredient you need to tell us.

You can probably work out which one I am but I didn't want to write it one sided, just wanted to explain the situation and ask who you think is in the wrong here?

@5128gap
So, unless diners specifically state they are vegan, they could, in theory, end up with a fried egg on top of their apple cobbler? Or a pork chop in their fruit compote? The chef is clearly as mad as a broom

This 😁
Bloody crackers.
YANBU

I think most people don’t even know what being vegan really constitutes.

For example: https://www.veganfriendly.org.uk/is-it-vegan/coconuts/

If they cant label things properly and add "suprise" foods to dishes i wouldnt trust eating it at all. Im vegetarian and if they threw a slice of bacon on top of something that should have been vegetarian i wouldnt trust eating from the place

I’m vegetarian, not vegan. I do eat eggs. However, who wants a fried egg on tomato pasta?! The manager is wrong for listing part of the ingredients and also wrong for that food choice in the first place!

The manager is in the wrong. The vegan was doing her best.

Really weird not to mention a whole egg. But the pasta was probably egg pasta anyway 🤷‍♀️

I thought allergens and vegetarian vegan meals have to be labelled correctly due to (don't quote me) Natashas law?

Even if not the manager should not be arguing with a customer.

What do you think someone who breaks mumsnet guidelines deserves ?

Don't tell me ... let me guess ???? .... a Dick perhaps ?

The vegan, as how did they (the vegan) know if the pasta contained egg or not? The person who has the dietary issue should be the one to make sure what they are ordering is suitable for them. We live too much in a nanny state and expect every one else to be mind readers to our wants/needs.

What food regulations have they fallen foul of?

I can't think of one.

i used to be veggie and ok a work trip in France was taken to a Michelin star restaurant with no veggie stuff on the menu. They asked what I wanted and I said anything veggie, and I got…a pile of sautéed potatoes with a fried egg on top! Very odd. The rest of my group thought it was good of them to accommodate me! Ffs

They have to be available if asked for (cpuld be verbally given).

The managers attitude was shitty and the fried egg not being on the menu is a bit bizarre. But, the pub hasn't done anything wrong. OP should have checked the meal was vegan and not presumed.

I have family who work in hospitality and because of possible allergens you are required to ask every group of diners if anyone has any allergies or dinner requirements and then they are given a a list with all of that days dishes on with every single ingredient listed to give to people so they can make sure their choice of food is safe for them to eat.

It is something that I thought that might be a piece of legislation or just common sense when you are serving food to ask about allergens and food restrictions.

I was in a 5star hotel for a company dinner many years ago. I had chosen the vegetarian option which had no description. I got a ham salad.

When I pointed out that ham wasn’t vegetarian and explained what vegetarian meant I was told that I should have asked for a vegan option and they could have done me a fish dish.

In the end I got a plate of rice with an olive on top.

The vegan is wrong for assuming that the food would meet her strict requirements, without inquiring. Besides the egg on top, she should have been asking what the ingredients were in the pasta itself. If she is going to be picky, she is going to have to take responsibility.

Pasta is made from eggs so surely the vegan couldn't have had the pasta?

The manager is wrong. Also who puts a fried egg on top of a pasta dish

Most dry pastas are vegan

Did she check the pasta was vegan? Pasta is usually made with egg

I had a very similar situation with an omelette - it had potato in it, not on the menu list of ingredients at all, I sent it back because I’m allergic to nightshades and the manager went crackers. He just kept repeating that he’d never heard of anyone have any issues with potatoes before and that I had to admit I’d just changed my mind. I wouldn’t of course, but I refused to pay and he nearly combusted and asked us to leave, actually threw us out!
You were not wrong @iloverobbrydon not your fault at all.

Of course the manager is in the wrong! And it's not often I say this but I know how the vegan friend feels. I personally hate salad (the vegetables and the associated condiments/dressings) to the point where I can't touch the rest of my food if it's been on my plate in case there's some hiding in there. If it's part of the meal, I ask for it to be removed and if it isn't specified I ask just to make sure because the blasted stuff turns up in everything! Therefore, if it turns up on my plate I feel justified in sending it back.
The friend has done nothing wrong.

Isn't pasta made with eggs?🤔

If there is going to be a fried egg on top of the pasta then it should have been stated in the description that's a pretty key piece of information vegan or not. I wouldn't want one.

The onus is on the customer to ensure that there are no animal products in the meal, a restaurant only ever lists the main constituents of a dish, very rarely does it itemise garnishes, you may not like it but that’s the way it is.

It should have specified egg on the menu if other ingredients were included.

The vegan person should have explained their dietary requirements at the outset.

The manager was very rude, and if I were a member of that group of friends, I wouldn't darken the door again, because god only knows what they might do to the food...!