National Vegan Pizza Express Party

[gertvegan]

National Vegan Pizza Express Party

Monday, 1st November 2004, World Vegan Day.

Click superveganpizzame (http://www.makessense.co.uk/tvvvs/events/meals/20041101/) for more info.

Thanks to all the hard work put in by Steve and Sof of Thames Valley Vegans and Vegetarians. :)

I posted this originally in the World Vegan Day thread but thought it was also worth while posting in the uk forum (sorry korn).

[ConsciousCuisine]

Gertvegan, you ROCK! You always post timely events and useful links. :) We should be getting our care packages any day now! I can't wait to post what we get here for all to enjoy our sharing! :) Blessings, Friend! ;)

[gertvegan]

I'd love to take the credit CC, but I am a mere messenger.

[ConsciousCuisine]

Yes, and I am giving YOU crredit as the messenger for delivering the messages to us all !;)

[Roxy]

I LOVE Vegan Pizza and I think more people should eat it!

[gertvegan]

Anyone in the UK who fancies celebrating World Vegan Day with pizza, check out THIS (http://www.makessense.co.uk/tvvvs/events/meals/20041101/parties.html) link as several have been confirmed ( including Bristol ) and many are in the pipeline. ;)

[gertvegan]

There are Pizza Express Party Events arranged for Bristol, Reading, Winchester, Swansea, and Oxford already, and probably Essex, Watford, Harrow, Leicester, Croydon, Herefordshire, Manchester, Liverpool, Eastbourne to follow. My place is booked, anyone else ?

[bulletproof]

i'm there

[Trendygirl]

I think that it might happen here in Brum as well. I posted the event on Birminghams vegan meet up web page and a couple people are interested. Do I have to warn pizza express about us coming?

[gertvegan]

Trendygirl, have a read of the "Organising an Party" in the link above. Your local Pizza Express may not have a clue what you are talking about if you just turn up.

[gertvegan]

And the number of parties keeps rising. There are Pizza Express Party Events arranged for Bristol, Reading, Liverpool, Manchester area, Leicester, Winchester, Swansea, and Oxford. And more in the pipeline, possibly including Salisbury, Essex, Eastbourne, and London.

Vegan times are changing.

[bulletproof]

^_^ does the bristol party have its 35 yet? because i could put up some posters at college, there must be some vegan students who like pizza surely!

[gertvegan]

bulletproof, its Angie from Viva! doing the organising. I'm sure she would be happy for you to advertise the event at college if the magic 35 number hasn't been reached yet. The Vegan Fayre is only a few days before, so I imagine any spare places will be eagerly filled from there. It can't do any harm to ask her. Your help would be appreciated I'm sure. Thanks.

[bulletproof]

ok cool, is her email angie@viva.org? thanks

[gertvegan]

Stick a .uk on the end and you're laughing.

[bulletproof]

hihi (look i really am) ok, so org.uk it is :)

[Gorilla]

i have emailed the contact for the Brighton party, hopefully it'll all be arranged in time. :)

[Gorilla]

:eek:

i've just had a reply from the lady who was trying to organise the party in Brighton, and she forwarded me an email she'd had from Thames Valley Veg*ns, saying they've all had to be cancelled *except* the original Reading one!

apparently Pizza Express had a problem with the health & safety regulations associated with providing alternative menus in so many restaurants, even though it is just one night, they won't be able to action the required procedures in time, and have had to cancel all the parties apart from Reading.

:( :( :(

but all is not lost!!!! as the email suggests, we can find other restaurants who will be willing to take over, or hold another kind of party on World Vegan Day elsewhere, and they are apparently going to liase with Pizza Express central management to organise pizza events in the new year.

if there is anyone here in the Brighton area and wants to arrange something, please send me a PM. :)

[gertvegan]

This is all that the Thames Valley Vegans and Vegetarians ( the group who are/were involved in the parties ) website says at the mo.



Cancelled
Sadly, the National Pizza Party has had to be cancelled, except for the one in Reading.

Details on why this has happen will follow shortly. Although this sounds bad, do not assume the worst.

:confused:

[bulletproof]

health and safety- because they change the cheese they use- would it be in the shops if it was a risk to people's health and safety?? :rolleyes:

[gertvegan]

The Bristol pizza do could still be going ahead at a different pizza place. Its probably best for anyone concerned to contact the organisers of their specific event.

[gertvegan]

For anyone that wanted to know why the parties were cancelled, this is from the Thames Valley vegetarian and vegan groups website, HERE. (http://www.makessense.co.uk/tvvvs/events/meals/20041101/)

Sadly, the National Pizza Party has had to be cancelled, officially at least, except for the one in Reading.

Some vegan pizza parties are still going ahead in different venues - please contact the organisers nearest you to see what is happenning. The Leicester one sounds particularly tasty. See the parties page for more info.

Basically, Pizza Express head office were blown away by the demand. They were not prepared for it and hadn't done the necessary health and safety checks or change of mindset. Plus a wayward vegan gave them a bullying earful for not doing it already, which significantly reduced good will at Pizza Express HQ, which we are struggling to rebuild.

The event is a victim of it's own success. Many branch managers were as upset as all our organisers by the cancellations.

The upshot is that Pizza Express is now taking the idea seriously, and is in converation with the Vegan Society and Redwood Foods. We'll update this page further when there are any developments. There is an excellent chance that a national vegan pizza party at Pizza Express restaurants will happen at a later date. Next time we'll have a good network of organisers and receptive branch managers right from the start.

Meanwhile - tell your local independent pizza restaurants of the great evidence for the demand, how to contact Redwoods, and what kind of party you'd like and when. Always demonstrate how positive, friendly and tollerant we vegans are - you are the representitive of all of us.

Only with word of mouth and the Internet, 2% of Pizza Express Reading's trade is now directly from vegans. Many more vegans, veggies and dairy intollerant people are out there to join in, if only they knew.