maybe a positive response, maybe not
this weekend, i was in louisiana for my cousin's wedding. despite my parents advising my uncle of my veganism, there wasn't much for me to eat (think typical new orleans food - everything had crab and shrimp in it). afterwards, they tried to find a place to take me to eat, and the only thing we could find open near our hotel was ryan's steakhouse & buffet.
this is the letter i wrote to them afterwards, expressing my disappointment in the options on their buffet, and their response:
This weekend, I was in Louisiana for my cousin's wedding. Afterwards, my family went to your location at 1520 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Houma, LA 70360. As a vegan, there was not much on your buffet I would ethically consume. I saw that there was spaghetti, but only saw meat sauce. I asked an employee to see if I could get some marinara sauce without meat. After checking with the manager, he informed me that they only carry meat sauce. I am not sure if this is merely a location policy or a company policy, but this is a terrible policy. Given the rise in vegetarianism and health-conscious eating in America, your locations should be sensitive to these facts and offer options for all sorts of customers. It was very disappointing to come to your store--the only thing open at that time that was not fast-food--and eat only salad. I did not find anything else on your buffet that appeared vegan. Please consider this in the future, as people begin to realize the ethical horrors and health risk factors in consuming meat, dairy and eggs. If there had been another option at that time of evening, I would have gone elsewhere. However, I was stuck with just salad, which I can get anywhere. It was a let-down. Please consider that my email represents many people and consider us in your company's policies on what foods to carry on the buffet.
Thank you,
Ryan Smith
they just emailed me back, saying:
Thank you for your comments of your visit. I would like to apologize for the inconvenience that you experienced on your visit. I will forward your comments to the District Manager of this location for action to be taken to correct the problem. Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.
Sincerely,
Kristie Garrett
something tells me this may just be a form email, but i might be wrong. either way, hopefully they'll at least get marinara sauce to go with their meat sauce option for the buffet. really, who ONLY carries meat sauce? i couldn't believe it.
this is the letter i wrote to them afterwards, expressing my disappointment in the options on their buffet, and their response:
This weekend, I was in Louisiana for my cousin's wedding. Afterwards, my family went to your location at 1520 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Houma, LA 70360. As a vegan, there was not much on your buffet I would ethically consume. I saw that there was spaghetti, but only saw meat sauce. I asked an employee to see if I could get some marinara sauce without meat. After checking with the manager, he informed me that they only carry meat sauce. I am not sure if this is merely a location policy or a company policy, but this is a terrible policy. Given the rise in vegetarianism and health-conscious eating in America, your locations should be sensitive to these facts and offer options for all sorts of customers. It was very disappointing to come to your store--the only thing open at that time that was not fast-food--and eat only salad. I did not find anything else on your buffet that appeared vegan. Please consider this in the future, as people begin to realize the ethical horrors and health risk factors in consuming meat, dairy and eggs. If there had been another option at that time of evening, I would have gone elsewhere. However, I was stuck with just salad, which I can get anywhere. It was a let-down. Please consider that my email represents many people and consider us in your company's policies on what foods to carry on the buffet.
Thank you,
Ryan Smith
they just emailed me back, saying:
Thank you for your comments of your visit. I would like to apologize for the inconvenience that you experienced on your visit. I will forward your comments to the District Manager of this location for action to be taken to correct the problem. Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.
Sincerely,
Kristie Garrett
something tells me this may just be a form email, but i might be wrong. either way, hopefully they'll at least get marinara sauce to go with their meat sauce option for the buffet. really, who ONLY carries meat sauce? i couldn't believe it.