Vegans in the food industry

[vegandesign]

Are any of you servers/hosts/bussers/chefs at omni restaurants?

I work at a very meat and cheese traditional Italian restaurant and since going vegan about two months ago, I feel, well, a bit uncomfortable there. I have a really good relationship with all of the people who work there, I get paid well, and I need the job.

Have any of you been in a similar situation and how did you deal with it?

[Pansypuss]

I helped with catering at a Chamber music festival for about five years when I was veggie. I avoided touching or looking at the meat as I found it very unpleasant. It was only voluntary and for one week a year. When I went vegan I did it once but found it SO repellent that now I do other stuff to help instead.
This isn't anything like having to work in the industry though, I was lucky I could opt out. Perhaps you could get a job in a veggie restaurant, there are quite a few about and I would think veggies and vegan would get priority over others?

[vegandesign]

There aren't any vegetarian or vegan restaurants around that I know of. Only some veg*n friendly.

[scarlet begonias]

Before I went vegan I had invested 2 years in working at an ice cream shop. I'm still there because everyone has welcomed my change and there are ices that are vegan-friendly. I also love the occasional moments where a customer will ask: "So what's your favorite flavor?" and I get to tell them I don't eat that junk.

However, I've decided that if I were to quit, my next job will definitely have a 100% vegan atmosphere.

[seamus]

i have a level 6 FETAC in food.
i worked in a meat joint first then the loccal veggie reseraunt. its impossable to get worth in the Vegan line here in ireland. im going to try my local backery next or even the healthfoodstore

[Mahk]

I've thought about it long and hard and have personally come to the conclusion that worrying about "how vegan is my job" is a worthless endeavor. If one thinks long and hard about it pretty much no job is 100% vegan. Yes, we can control what we eat, our household products, and what we wear, but when we step out the front door and financially interact with the rest of the world, which is 99% not vegan, we can't help but use and interact with animal products and should expect that the money we spend and the revenue we generate for our employers will be spent and used to do what those people do; use animals.

[DiaShel]

Yes, I'm a waitress in an Italian chain restaurant. It didn't bother me until recently and not I'm having a very hard time with it. It's the throwing away food that gets to me the most. It's one thing for an animal to be cruelly slaughtered to be eaten, but to be thrown away? Just really upsetting to me. Luckily I won't be there too much longer.

[imblissful]

I do admit that it is embarrassing to tell everyone what I do for a living. I love my job (it's close to home, close to my son's school, close to daycare, close to the rec center, the other employee's are great, boss is great, hours are the best, pay is good, benefits are good). I am the kitchen supervisor in a local jail.

Since becoming vegan I have decreased the amount of animal products we use at work, but I cannot entirely remove them. First off the big food suppliers don't carry the usual vegan food, and what they do carry is very expensive. I do encourage my employees to use more potatoes, cabbage, and beans. instead of using 5 pounds of ground beef I will use 2 pounds and then add black beans or garbonzo beans to make the 5 pounds. My thought is that if someone else had this job they would not being trying so hard to phase out the animal products, so it is better that I have this job and do my best to reduce the amount of animal suffering. I do purchase the instant refried beans that have no animal fat (which is cheaper anyway), and use vegan patties as often as I can.

Sometimes my hands are tied, like if the nurse orders a special diet she will write down specifically what she wants them to have.

There is not much available as far as work goes in my area, you either need to work in a casino or work for the county, unless you want to travel 1 hour one way to work.

I do my best with what I have. So far I have decided to stay at this job, if something comes along that would make me happy I would definately switch.

[matt35mm]

I do admit that it is embarrassing to tell everyone what I do for a living. I love my job (it's close to home, close to my son's school, close to daycare, close to the rec center, the other employee's are great, boss is great, hours are the best, pay is good, benefits are good). I am the kitchen supervisor in a local jail.

Since becoming vegan I have decreased the amount of animal products we use at work, but I cannot entirely remove them. First off the big food suppliers don't carry the usual vegan food, and what they do carry is very expensive. I do encourage my employees to use more potatoes, cabbage, and beans. instead of using 5 pounds of ground beef I will use 2 pounds and then add black beans or garbonzo beans to make the 5 pounds. My thought is that if someone else had this job they would not being trying so hard to phase out the animal products, so it is better that I have this job and do my best to reduce the amount of animal suffering. I do purchase the instant refried beans that have no animal fat (which is cheaper anyway), and use vegan patties as often as I can.

Sometimes my hands are tied, like if the nurse orders a special diet she will write down specifically what she wants them to have.

There is not much available as far as work goes in my area, you either need to work in a casino or work for the county, unless you want to travel 1 hour one way to work.

I do my best with what I have. So far I have decided to stay at this job, if something comes along that would make me happy I would definately switch.

While I understand that working with and around animal products is difficult for you, this sounds like a great thing that you can do to reduce the use of animal products. Over a long period of time, the total amount of animal products that you've avoided using would probably be quite substantial.

[harpy]

While I understand that working with and around animal products is difficult for you, this sounds like a great thing that you can do to reduce the use of animal products. Over a long period of time, the total amount of animal products that you've avoided using would probably be quite substantial.

Yes, I agree. The same might apply to working in a restaurant although I daresay not everyone is in a position to influence what is served/eaten.

[journey]

I don't work in a restaurant, but from time to time we do have folks doing cooking demonstrations for the public. I don't like it (because they often make meat / dairy dishes).

But I deal with it by just being a good example (they are getting to know what I don't take samples of , and why), I try to avoid being the one doing the shopping expecially of meat (but I often can't avoid getting the 'staples' like dry milk and butter). I also try to cut them down on animal products when I can, but I don't have enough control over that to really make a big difference. (However, I always volunteer to buy the cleaning supplies and stuff like that, because then I make sure those items are vegan - problem is, it's not company policy, so when I move on someday, they'll revert right back to the non-vegan versions).

I think you do what you can, make a difference wherever you can even if it's in small ways.

I know some of the omni cooks and their children have at least had to give thought to what I've said about why I'm vegan (even if they never change their views) and hopefully see that I'm not too weird being vegan, am healthy and a decent person. That's always an advertisement for veganism.

[Sarah_]

I worked first at a mostly American food restaurant for about two years, during which time I hostessed, ran food,and then was a server. I also worked at an Italian restaurant that also served fish and steak and all that crap.
I was never grossed out by the meat. Maybe it's just me, but I grew up being around and eating meat. It doesn't gross me out as much as I wish it would. I am saddened by it, and frustrated, but not grossed out.
What I used to do is suggest anything on the menu that happens to have no meat in it. I couldn't ever suggest a vegan meal because everything has cheese or eggs, but I could at least try a veggie meal. And then when someone asked me how a certain meal was, even though I was supposed to say "excellent" or "great", I would say "it's very popular" in a stiff sort of tone so that they'd ask me what I meant by it, thereby allowing me to tell them I'm vegan, therefor I don't eat meat.
It usually sparks conversations, and I can't get in trouble because THEY asked.

Also, I worked in the service deli of a Ralphs grocery store. I'll never do that again ever ever. Serving the food, I can do. Slicing it, no no.

[harpy]

That's great, Sarah - glad the "they asked" defence works.

I would like to see a video of you saying "it's very popular" stiffly

[Sarah_]

Hahahaha. Well, try to imagine, if you will:
quite a tall fake redhead in a black shirt making a terribly disguised "bleh" face, and saying "um. it's. It's very popular", and then sucking her teeth a bit.

[kriz]

If we can't work in vegan places, I think it's important to see it from the bright side, that we can influence our workplace to become more vegan. An even if we can't change menus etc. at least we would be able to familiarize others around us with the lifestyle. As a matter of fact, this might be the way to go rather than just sticking to our own places.

[matt35mm]

Hahahaha. Well, try to imagine, if you will:
quite a tall fake redhead in a black shirt making a terribly disguised "bleh" face, and saying "um. it's. It's very popular", and then sucking her teeth a bit.

I imagined it and got a little bit, um, excited. That probably wasn't the point.

[Sarah_]

Excited about my amazing coercion skills I suppose.

[matt35mm]

Call it what you will but it was hot.

[Sarah_]

I'm blushing, I'm blushing.

[petunia]

i have/had worked in restaurants and pubs for over 10 years on and off. most of the "off" time was because of the fact that i strongly disagreed with serving meat and pretending it was okay. personally, i felt like i was selling my soul for tips. but i always went back because of the easy money.

im a student, and this past summer, i got a really good, really well paying job working for a conservation reserve. but it was only for the summer. i am now done school, cant go back to that job until may and am running out of money. so...

i may go back to serving. (last resort)

i completely understand your discomfort. my advice would be do what you can until you can do better.

[emzy1985]

I was an assistant manager of a Little Chef for two years. I was veggie then but no where near vegan. Whilst I was there I put on two stone because of all the lovely full fat coleslaw and butter on everything. YUK!!! At the end of the day, us vegans live in a non-vegan world. If we all had vegan jobs then how would we represent our lifestyle?

I currently work for a logistics division of Sainsburys. I have to see all sorts of nasty things go into the back of lorries and then I have to get them to store on time so fat arse meat eaters can have a good shitmas! However at least everyone (other than the really thick ones) in my office knows what a vegan is and what I do and don't eat.

[cookielynn]

And then when someone asked me how a certain meal was, even though I was supposed to say "excellent" or "great", I would say "it's very popular" in a stiff sort of tone so that they'd ask me what I meant by it, thereby allowing me to tell them I'm vegan, therefor I don't eat meat.

Haha I used to do the same "it's very popular" thing when I served tables. Or sometimes people would ask me, "What's your favorite dish?" or "What do you recommend?" and then I would tell people that I didn't eat anything on the menu because I'm vegan, and it always seemed to make people kind of uncomfortable. I never recommended or tried to "up-sell" any dishes like we were supposed to because even I'm not going to advocate or encourage eating meat/animal products.

[Roxy]

i have/had worked in restaurants and pubs for over 10 years on and off. most of the "off" time was because of the fact that i strongly disagreed with serving meat and pretending it was okay. personally, i felt like i was selling my soul for tips. but i always went back because of the easy money.

im a student, and this past summer, i got a really good, really well paying job working for a conservation reserve. but it was only for the summer. i am now done school, cant go back to that job until may and am running out of money. so...

i may go back to serving. (last resort)

i completely understand your discomfort. my advice would be do what you can until you can do better.

Would it be worth your while to apply at The Foundation, or The Naam or some of the other veg places? I know they might be a bit far away for you though, mighn't they.

[petunia]

Would it be worth your while to apply at The Foundation, or The Naam or some of the other veg places? I know they might be a bit far away for you though, mighn't they.

hi roxy. i love that i have a vancouver friend on here!

i applied at foundation at few years ago and didnt get hired. i think its the kind of place where you have to know someone already working there in order to get hired. and now that im older, as much as i love the food there, its so freakin pretentious that i would probably barf everytime i went to work.

i got hired at the naam about a year ago, but only to be a busser as it takes a LONG time to be able to serve there (no one ever leaves). the owner was very nice, but he still had that kind of pretentious attitude "no one EVER leaves THE NAAM..." i was only hired to work graveyards so i ended up quitting and getting a job at burgoo. do you know it? it was a really great place to work, but so meaty...

do you know of any others that might be worthwhile?

i know that you work for a grocery. is it capers or choices or another like that? what do you do there and do you like it?

[veganese]

Funny that is... all the veggie restaurants I've gone, I asked if the owners were vegetarians/vegans, they just said, NO.