.... ..I hate applebees. Anyways, my sister and my mom are going to applebees for dessert and want me to go too, I've just recently went vegan and don't want to ruin it already. These little obstacles keep getting in the way and keeping me from going vegan...or staying vegan. Help

I don't know what they have on the menu at Applebee's but maybe you could ride along with them if they agree to let you go to the grocery store to get things for a vegan dessert? It could even be something like fruit or some soy ice cream... something that will make you feel satisfied without feeling left out, and then they would take your veganism more seriously. Good luck!

I once brought my own slice of pie to Friendly's when the rest of the family wanted to go out for dessert.



Something like bringing in a pint of ice cream wouldn't be so bad.



Or you could order a bowl of fruit. If they serve banana splits, they've got to have bananas. Right? Topped with chocolate sauce, even. And nuts. Just leave out the dairy ice cream.



Or ask your mom and sis if you can go somewhere else for dessert. To change things up a bit.



Or *make* dessert at home. Get cookin! Concoct a really awesome brownie sundae, or cake, or somesuch and have it around so they'll be more tempted to stay home for dessert! I use this strategy often... For instance, my family wanted to do something special for last Sunday. Go out to eat. I offered instead to cook everyone a delux brunch with blueberry pancakes and the works. They went for that.

SO...That's where you are...Check your IM

(BTW...I'm still Raw )

I have to admit my weakness lies in dessert. When I am home and have access to vegan dessert I'm fine, but when I go out to eat and have to say no to yummy looking goodies I get a wee bit... well....

but then I go home and pig out on vegan stuff and I feel better

Sorry, but it's rude to bring your own food to a restaurant.

I think it would be rude if everyone brought their own food to a restaurant. But just a plate of dessert? What if you were diabetic and you couldn't eat any of the desserts there so you decided to bring something else so you could still partake with everyone else? Just explain it to the waitstaff first!



That said, I think I'd be uncomfortable bringing my own food! Probably be best just to eat something when you get home.

Yeah... what she said... Good luck ; )

My dad has hypoglycemia and he's never felt the need to bring his own food to a restaurant.

Marie: I think you have to understand that there are different family dynamics. I know in my family EATING TOGETHER is a HUGE thing. My family INSISTS upon having these "nice" meals together. And that means that I am often forced to find *something* to eat a not-veg-friendly restaurant. Sometimes bringing your own stuff is the best option. It's not rude. It might be not allowed, but I don't think it's rude. The only person who would know is the wait staff, not the chef. And the chef is the only person that might get offended.



And so what if it were rude? It makes a statement. "I am sticking to a strict vegetarian diet." If it's rude, people will notice it. And that's kind of the point - to have people notice that vegetarianism is important.

It is rude. It's rude to the owner of the restaurant. Go ahead and call the restaurant in advance to see if they okay it, but don't plop down with outside food and start eating it.



Restaurants aren't free for all picnic areas. They're businesses.

I think it's perfectly polite for someone on a special diet to bring their own food to a restaurant when they are with a group of people who will be patronizing the restaurant.



No, it wouldn't be right for a group of people to come in, sit down in a restaurant, and eat all their own food, but there's a big difference.

And I think the owner of the huge chain, Applebee's, would be perfectly happy to have the revenue they're getting from those two customers who brought a friend with some outside food. They'll certainly be making more money than they would if everyone stayed home and ate vegan pie, or went to a different restaurant that had vegan options.

I agree with MollyGoat. If she's with paying patrons, I see it as perfectly acceptable, especially considering the restaurant does not have anything suitable for her to eat.

Applebees is NOT vegan-friendly, I'm pretty sure their fries are vegan though..so I was thinking about just getting some of those.



Btw, no fighting here guys!! Be nice to one another, Marie thinks its rude to bring your own food to a restaurant and she's not going to change her opinion.

Aww now, I love Applebees. It's probably my favorite family style restaurant.



I agree with Marie though about bringing in food.

Erin's site has a list of restaurants and which items are vegan

I wouldn't bring my own food to a fancier restaurant, but I would bring something small to eat to a place like Applebees if I was with a group of people. I once went out to breakfast at a kind of greasy spoon place with a group of friends and brought my own muffin. No one in the restaurant cared, or I think even noticed. Usually though if I go to a vegan-unfriendly place with friends or family, I just eat something before I go. I wouldn't go to Applebees though since my parents had a roach-in-the-salad incident there...

When I waitressed I used to have to tell people they couldn't eat their own food. It annoyed the owner when people came in with their own stuff.

Yea, I would feel uncomfortable bringing my own food and I would probably embarrass my family some

Also:



Applebee's:

Although Applebee's fries in 100% veggie oil, non-veg items may be fried along with veg items. The Sizzling Vegetable Skillet is vegan if requested without butter. You can also order a salad and the steamed vegetable plate.



Applebee's vegetables are nasty and their salads are nasty (not green) too.



That sucks that they fry their fries with non-veg ites...or may..I'll call and check with them before we go.

Hmmm.... Is Applebee's apple crisp vegan without the ice cream?



I have decided in the past that if I ate veggie at Applebee's, I would die of a heart attack. They have everything smothered in a really heavy cream sauce.

I doubt it, I'm sure there is butter involved, at the very least.

And for the note - I'm with Marie. I find bringing your own food rude.

How about just going to the restaurant to hang out with your family? Eat something when you get home, or whatever. Just don't bring food in to the restaurant. As several other people mentioned, that is very rude to the restaurant.

One thing that I made sure to do when I first went veg was to not make a big deal about eating out. If I went somewhere with friends or family that didn't have anything for me, I just wouldn't eat there. I know that this isn't always possible, but it does help to show people that food doesn't always have to be directly linked to socializing.

I have no idea what I'd get for dessert, but last time I went to applebees I got one of their wraps with no cheese, etc. and with mushrooms instead of meat, and was very impressed with how nice they were about it. I explained what I wanted to the server, and the chef added the mushrooms and extra veggies (with an assurance they were done in oil, not butter) without my requesting it, so everyone be nice to applebees, for a non-veg place they were very friendly.

Hey, if there's a sign saying no outside food, fine. Otherwise, tough it out, people. Or start offering vegan options. It's that simple.



At any rate, to address the original post, don't go there thinking about dessert. Go there thinking about being social. I did the same thing at dinner last night. About 20 of us went to Bob's Big Boy (guess why he's so big?) and I went along to be social, but I was stuck with french fries, fruit, and microwaved veggies as my only vegan options (good thing I brought a Clif Bar!). The waitress was very cool, actually, even asking me more about what veganism involved, as if edifying herself for future guests or something. I still managed to have a good time because I wasn't fixated on the food, but hanging out with friends.

I've waitressed at three different resturants- starting with a small, locally owned one, then a large, nationally-owned chain, and ending with a smaller higher-end resturant. At each place I had times where people brought some of their own food. I never had any issues with it and neither did the managers/owners. I guess I was always trained to be respectful to the customers needs and to help them out in any way possible.

Of course, I always made it a point to ask the person to clean up their mess afterward (take take-out boxes, wax paper or plastic bags for sandwiches, saran-wrap from cookies or whatever, along WITH them when they leave) As long as more people were ORDERING food than bringing food in, it didn't bother me as I was still making tips off of the table. I think that it's rather silly,disrespectful, and rude to tell the customers (those who are ordering food) that their guests have to sit there and watch them eat. In my experience, if I was that big of a ***** to the customers, they'd get up and find somewhere else to eat.

I agree with Stellar, on that point. Isn't there a policy of "the customer is always right"? If you tell customers that their friends can't bring in something small to nosh on, then the whole party is going to get up and leave, and probably not patronize your restaurant again.



I think the situation is akin to a family with small children. It's not uncommon to see a mother giving her child a bag of cheerios to munch on while everyone else has something at the restaurant. And this isn't frowned upon.

When eating at Applebees, the only thing I ever order is the Oriental Chicken Salad Rollup minus the chicken and maybe some fries. It's the closest thing to a vegan meal I can come up with there.