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AIBU?

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Original poster

Who is in the wrong - vegan or manager?

649 replies

iloverobbrydon · 28/09/2023 18:05

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?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
FUPAgirl · 30/09/2023 09:51

Sorry op but it was definitely your responsibility here to tell they you are vegan. Obviously it is understandable you didn't expect a fried egg to appear, but there may well have been egg in the pasta. You really do need to ask when you order.

Manager was also rude but I can see why she got annoyed.

NoGNoDNoClue · 30/09/2023 10:31

Barney60 · 30/09/2023 09:40

You are not wrong, im veggie had i ordered a meal with what was listed for it to have a lump of mince or bits of steak on top is the same principal, the manager should have said when it was ordered there is an egg with this, or it should be on the menu, anyways who puts a fried egg on top of pasta?

If you went to a restaurant and no dishes were listed as vegetarian, wouldn't you check? They might use parmesan cheese or ham stock or fry things in lard, for example?

Or would you be happy to order based on a description that clearly didn't include all the ingredients? I haven't ever seen a menu that lists everything.

steppemum · 30/09/2023 10:54

faults on both sides.

every time I have been out to eat recently I have been specifically asked if anyone in the party has any allergies or food requirements.
Waiter should have asked as they took the order.
The menu did not make any claims that its dish was vegan or vegetarian, so it is daft to assume it is without checking. Lists of ingredients are just a guide to flavour and what the dish is like, it doesn't list every single last thing (unless the menu says it is a complete list)
Onus is on you to check if the menu does not specify
It is odd to put a whole egg on a dish and not mention it though.
The manager was rude and unhelpful when egg was sent back.

and to those saying dried pasta has no egg in it, it does sometimes, I would be checking the ingrdients.

Messyhair321 · 30/09/2023 11:17

It's the manager who is wrong. And stinking attitude to refuse to put it right straight away. Shitty service I'd throw a raw egg at the window at 3am & not go back to eat there

ReformedWaywardTeen · 30/09/2023 11:32

Pub manager here with a DS with severe allergies so I get both sides.

We recently had a lady who ordered something which very clearly comes with cheese. It's on the menu. She eats the food.

She then came over, complaining because she is lactose intolerant. She had not mentioned this. We have actual signs on the menu saying "please let your server know of any allergies/preferences before ordering.

She was very rude to me. I explained that at no point did she alert us and she ordered something where there is cheese very clearly listed. Apparently we should have asked her!

She reduced one of my teen Saturday staff to tears as she was so rude. She demanded a refund and threatened us with all sorts. I actually asked her to leave and said if she continued to be rude and abusive I would phone the police to remove her.

She was ignorant of the fact we weren't psychic.

In the vegans case if the egg wasn't listed then the place is partially at fault but I would always suggest checking of you have a preference, we do with DS due to his allergy being so severe and varied. We've seen stuff we think he can eat the find out they use peanut oil or fish oil, which isn't mental on the menu.

The manager should have remained professor but yes, I would always say to check

Br1256 · 30/09/2023 12:08

Isn’t pasta made with egg…..I know it doesn’t excuse the fried egg but if u are vegan than pasta is not something you eat

Fangisnotacoward · 30/09/2023 12:15

The manager is wrong.

Aside from the vegan perspective there is a serious allergen issue there.

Also, randomly putting a fried egg onto of pasta is just beyond bizarre

BabyStopCryin · 30/09/2023 12:23

Br1256 · 30/09/2023 12:08

Isn’t pasta made with egg…..I know it doesn’t excuse the fried egg but if u are vegan than pasta is not something you eat

Not always. My boss was in a restaurant and told the waiter that she was allergic to egg, he assured her the pasta was egg free, she asked him to double check with the chef, which (supposedly) he did and she ended up in an ambulance.

DizzyDaisy321 · 30/09/2023 13:02

Is this a serious question to a vegan?

SleepingStandingUp · 30/09/2023 13:04

AllProperTeaIsTheft · 28/09/2023 18:12

Do you mean that they literally list all the ingredients (herbs, spices, type of oil, absolutely everything)? If it is clear that they are listing all the ingredients, rather than just mentioning main ones, then the pub is at fault for adding an egg they didn't mention.

Egg on top of pasta makes the egg a pretty main ingredient. Vegans. Egg allergies. It's not like they forgot they add a sprinkle of a herb on top.

Widower2014 · 30/09/2023 13:11

Yes, unless they are vegan on medical grounds, they are just being fussy

Br1256 · 30/09/2023 13:12

I don’t see your point …the pasta your friend was made with egg…..otherwise it is just flour and water …ugh

Grumpyold · 30/09/2023 13:22

Br1256 · 30/09/2023 13:12

I don’t see your point …the pasta your friend was made with egg…..otherwise it is just flour and water …ugh

Pasta can be made with egg but most dried pasta isn't.

Quartz2208 · 30/09/2023 13:27

22 pages in and it is still being discussed about pasta.

fresh and filled pasta is made with egg

yout supermarket commercial dried pasta is durum wheat flour

egg pasta will be in the chilled section
there are some exceptions such as the Waitrose one posted earlier

still fried egg is a main ingredient, not always a liked type of egg and should be included in the menu as it makes up a substantial part of the meal

Takemetothelakes45 · 30/09/2023 13:29

I just don’t like eggs and would send this back with the same explanation of it wasn’t listed so how are you to know?? Seems a strange approach.

i don’t spend my life asking restaurants if there’s an egg on a dish if it’s not stated!

HeidiHunter · 30/09/2023 14:09

The manager is wrong. Nobody would expect an egg on top of a pasta dish and if it was to be included it should be listed on the menu. Eggs are also a common allergen.

Blondeshavemorefun · 30/09/2023 14:45

Pasta and egg. Weird

Unless carbonara

Manager /restaurant yes should have said it came with an egg

Due to allergies if nothing else

But as a vegan you should always check that the food is suitable for you

If the menu doesn't say its is vegan or vegetarian that it isn't suitable

BabyStopCryin · 30/09/2023 15:15

Well I guess egg on a pizza sounds weird but it’s quite nice. Still not sold on fried egg in pasta!

IamMoodyBlue · 30/09/2023 16:01

The pub is absolutely in the wrong.
There is no possible justification for it.
The establishment clearly has no understanding of dietary requirements.
Merely listing allergens is utterly unacceptable.

If ingredients are listed, without it being made clear that the list is only a partial list, it's irresponsible.
I'm allergic to tomato. I'm not the only one! But it is not listed as an allergen. I can't tolerate garlic or tumeric
So I need 'full disclosure' too.

I'm vegetarian. Lifting a piece of meat off my meal is not ok, anymore than taking an egg off a served meal is acceptable to a vegan.
It doesn'tmatter if you are not vegan, vegetarian or suffering from allergies, only that you show empathy and support for those who need it..

NoDought · 30/09/2023 16:11

The manager is absolutely in the wrong and what a rubbish attitude when the food was justifiably sent back. A fried egg on top of meal completely changes it and should be listed as it would definitely be something people may sway the persons decision to select that dish. Also the attitude of not listing everything is ridiculous because obviously foods like eggs and meat are significant to some.

Solonge · 30/09/2023 16:50

Not really, a lis5 t of ingredients isnt just to indicate flavour. Eggs are allergens, you dont just stick one on the top of random dishes!

Calc123 · 30/09/2023 17:00

Vegan is in the wrong...you've said nothing on the menu stated V or VE so you shouldn't have assumed it was, or should have asked when ordering. It wasn't a vegan dish, didn't have a VE symbol but you've just assumed it was vegan.

eastegg · 30/09/2023 17:06

Manager completely in the wrong. What if you simply didn’t like fried eggs? By the manager’s logic, each and every customer would have to list everything they don’t like, not just anything they’re allergic to, at the time of ordering, in order to avoid some random unpredictable thing plonked on top of their meal. They would soon go out of business because it would take so long to take everyone’s order.

Not only is it a stupid way to operate, it’s inexcusable to blame the customer like this. That manager deserves both barrels.

Baffy11 · 30/09/2023 17:53

Suspect very much that the chef put cheese on top of the pasta, as opposed to an egg (!!), but that OP has changed this to make their point more persuasive.

Ohhelpicantthinkofaname · 30/09/2023 18:14

As a lot of pasta contains egg it’s reasonable for the restaurant manager to assume that they are ok eating egg if the vegan didn’t ask whether the pasta contained egg.

I do suspect thought, as stated above, that it was actually cheese that was on top of the pasta. If it was really an egg (doubtful) then it should have been stated in the ingredients as frankly it’s a bit weird to put a fried gag on top of pasta and most people wouldn’t be too impressed with an unexpected fried egg.