To expect pubs to serve a decent vegetarian meal?

[Allshallbewell2021]

Three pub meals over the past three months have been dire or inedible. One risotto (rice not cooked) one bean/taco meal (clearly from a tin really grim), one Xmas dinner butternut squash thing (clearly from the freezer, slimy and disgusting).
And not cheap either.
Tonight I had chips, peas and battered halloumi (too much straight cheese for anyone) but quite nice.

Is a good vegetarian pub option not economically viable?

A lot of people on the thread were complaining about the actual menu options rather than the standard of food served.

What do I really like to eat? Pasta I guess (love pasta) but it’s not really ‘special’ is it - something you can make at home.

I love it but risotto is often gritty I find.

Our friends joined us on hols some years ago. We were in a b and b. Daughter was vegetarian. The first night we went to an Italian. Several options of pasta dishes that seemed good. She was happy enough with this but vastly preferred the pub we went to the following night that specialised in giant Yorkshire puds. The vegetarian option was the then ubiquitous mushroom stroganoff (in a pud). Looked fairly unappealing, but she loved it

I’m aware of that, but as I said, I think it’s not really the point of the OP. It’s unhelpful and I do object to the childish “I don’t like it so it shouldn’t be on the menu” attitude.

But if restaurants routinely offered a few of different vegetarian meals and at least one vegan meal, with a range of base ingredients, it would be less of an issue, as vegetarians wouldn’t be forced to choose the only option that they happen to dislike.

yorkshire Pudding - veggie of course - is bloody lovely!

Our Sunday lunches at home when I was a child were the whole shebang - and I’d have the yorkies, roast potatoes (veggie) and all the steamed veggies (I actually like cabbage and Brussel sprouts). yum.

Oh and the worst ‘meat’ I ever had was a few Christmases ago (must be about ten now) when we got a fake tofu turkey (with fake bacon strips on top) and it was absolutely inedible. Bleugh. I stick to veggie haggis now.

I have never eaten anywhere that only has one vegetarian option.

Good for you. A number of the places round here only offer one option and no vegan. We are fairly rural, but there’s a still a reasonable vegetarian population. Not an issue for me, but trying to arrange a group meal can be a nightmare.

Really? I’ve eaten in loads. You must have been very lucky.

Here we go. Nice restaurant near me.
First place I looked to see what there was. One brunch option and one main course.

I live in the north east but have moved around quite a bit in the region over the last couple of years. So I have lived in both cities and also fairly rurally.

Right now the village I am living in I would say is semi rural but even the Chinese takeaway in the village has a fully separate vegan menu.

I can honestly say that even as a vegan I have never struggled with eating out or getting takeaways even in semi rural north east. That’s why I am baffled when people say that they can never find anything or there is only one option. I am just thinking where do you live? Where are these weird places you are eating out at that the food is so crap?

Then again I have heard that a lot of ‘nice’ places are the worst so maybe that is what I am doing ‘wrong’. I don’t eat out in nice enough places 😂

I’d say it’s the exception not the rule that there’s more than two options on the menu that I can have as a vegetarian, and there’s often only one. I don’t eat in nice nice places, but neither are they complete dumps.

I’ve never seen a Chinese restaurant with a separate vegan menu round here. Although Chinese restaurants do tend to offer a few choices for vegetarians/ vegans. It’s usually the pubs and small restaurants that are very variable. Some are great, but many are really poor.

Even back in the 1990s I can recall places that had more than one vegetarian option. But it was always zero vegan options, so I was stuffed. (I had more than one works Christmas meal where my meal was plain boiled white rice to which I added lots of salt and pepper).

We have a local noodle place that will substitute tofu for meat. So I suppose that's a vegan menu!

Newuser75 · Today 08:12

@GrannyRose15 yes but the thing is is that the vegetarian food anywhere seems to be rubbish. With the exception of Indian/asian food.

This Exactly 👍

Really? Entitled to expect well cooked food that is on the menu and you pay for?

I live rurally as well. Most of the eateries around here have small menus. Typically 3-4 starters, one of which will be soup (which always seems to be vegetarian these days, can't remember the last time I saw chicken soup on a menu), another one will be vegan. Which often leaves max 1-2 starters which include meat or fish. I don't mind that too much as will happily eat veggie soup (though I can't abide carrot & coriander...who came up with that idea?).

Same thing with the mains, maybe 4-5 mains, usually two will be vegan which leaves the meat eaters with limited choice. Especially if they don't like fish.

I've often ordered vegetarian when I eat out but there's seems to be less and less to choose from now. The vegan options are rarely appetising.

Omg, I love you 🤗

Would I go into a vegatarian restaurant and ask what the meat option is? I’m in business to make money, I’m not buying in food especially for vegetarians in the hope that one might come in and if not throw that food away. You need to see it from a business perspective. Businesses open to make money.

I run a business to make money and cater for the general public, like I’ve said in a past quote, I’m not buying in separate produce in the hope a veggie comes through my door and if they don’t I have to throw it out. You open your own business to make money. What are the meat options in a vegetarian restaurant?

Yes, because asking for a meat option in a vegetarian restaurant is exactly the same thing and a frequent and lazy argument.

What’s the objection to this menu?

Starters - vegetarians can eat 2 options, vegans 1 option, pescatarians/omnivores all 3. No meat.

Mains - vegetarians 1 option, pescatarians 2 options, omnivores all 3. Out of luck if you’re vegan but I assume they’d drop the goat cheese for you.

Desserts, similar.

It looks pretty balanced for a small menu to me. Admittedly brunch is meat-heavy and they could stand for an extra vegetarian option there but I dunno, it’s not terrible, is it?

If you eat a restricted diet, your choices are restricted.

🙄🙄