Quick Glance at Vegetarian Menu Items at Restaurant and Quick Service Chains

Vegetarian Journal, May, 2001 by Davida Gypsy Breier, Sarah Blum

Suppliers and ingredients are ever changing. When you are purchasing foods, an exact guarantee of the ingredients is probably not possible. In many cases, when compiling this information, we've labeled items as vegetarian when there could be a few "maybe" ingredients, such as mono- and diglycerides and/or natural flavors. We know that many vegetarians do not eat cheese made with animal rennet, but for the purposes of this chart, we've included some cheeses that may contain this animal derivative. Also, some foods are listed as vegetarian as per the ingredient statement; however, they may share a cooking surface with meat. Everyone draws the line as to what he or she will eat in a different place. We've done our best to provide as much information as possible to allow people to make informed decisions. You may want to read our 32-page guide for more complete details about the menu items (see back cover for ordering details).

Note: If you have food allergies, please contact the individual restaurants for their allergen statement. Ingredients change frequently, and egg and dairy products can be masked by other ingredients, such as "natural flavors."

APPLEBEE'S

VEGETARIAN: cheese quesadilla, mozzarella sticks, onion peels, Caesar salad (without Caesar Salad dressing), low-fat veggie quesadilla, French fries, new potatoes, coleslaw, mixed side salad, cheese nachos, cheese pizza, grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese, pasta primavera

VEGETARIAN (NO EGGS/DAIRY): Sizzling Vegetable Skillet (without butter), steamed vegetable plate

NON-VEGETARIAN: According to Applebee's, these products contain "dairy, egg, or other animal-derived ingredients." Parmesan Pizza Sticks, spinach and artichoke dip, Veggie Patch pizza, vegetable stir-fry, spinach-filled Triple Stack Tortilla, California Vegetable Roll-up, fettuccine primavera al pesto, Gardenburger (check with each individual restaurant--ingredients vary depending on burger type), guacamole (gelatin), Caesar salad dressing that comes with Caesar and Pasta Bowl Combo and the Caesar salad (anchovies)

ARBY'S

VEGETARIAN: baked potatoes (plain; broccoli and cheddar), apple and cherry turnovers, mozzarella cheesesticks, jalapeno bites, croutons, croissants, blueberry muffins, biscuits, all buns, all milkshakes, green peppers and onion mix, margarine/butter blend, sauces/dressings (honey mustard, tartar sauce, tangy southwest sauce, Thousand Island), hot chocolate drink mix

VEGETARIAN (NO EGGS/DAIRY): garden salad, side salad, liquid margarine, marinara sauce, sauces (Arby's sauce, barbeque sauce, barbeque dipping sauce), turnovers appear vegan (cooking methods unknown, sugar)

NON-VEGETARIAN: sour cream (gelatin), potato products such as jalapeno baked potato, homestyle fries, curly fries, potato cakes are cooked in same oil as meats

AU BON PAIN

VEGETARIAN: bagels (everything, asiago cheese, Dutch apple, chocolate chip), cream cheese, mozzarella sandwich, the shortbread and all croissants, all muffins, all cookies, all Danish, all scones, soups (Tomato Florentine, Garden Vegetarian, Caribbean Black Bean, Vegetarian Chili, and Cream of Broccoli)

VEGETARIAN (NO EGGS/DAIRY): bagels (plain, sesame, and cinnamon raisin), salad

NON-VEGETARIAN: French Onion soup (chicken broth)

AUNTIE ANNE'S

VEGETARIAN: flavored pretzels

VEGETARIAN (NO EGGS/DAIRY): flavored pretzels without butter

NON-VEGETARIAN: marinara dip (gelatin)

BASKIN-ROBBINS

VEGETARIAN: most desserts, except for flavors made with miniature marshmallows, creamy marshmallow flavoring (the swirl in some of the flavors), marshmallow topping

VEGETARIAN (NO EGGS/DAIRY): ices and sorbets

NON-VEGETARIAN: flavors made with miniature marshmallows such as Rocky Road (gelatin)

BOJANGLES'

VEGETARIAN: creamy coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, multi-grain roll, all of the biscuits

VEGETARIAN (NO EGGS/DAIRY): marinated coleslaw, Cajun pinto beans, green beans, corn on the cob

NON-VEGETARIAN: hash browns (Botato Rounds), seasoned fries (animal shortening used)

BOSTON MARKET

VEGETARIAN: apple pie, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, cinnamon apples, oatmeal raisin cookie, cornbread, split-top bun, white roll, coyote bean salad, penne pasta salad, potato salad, red bliss potato salad, green bean casserole, green beans, honey glazed carrots, penne marinara, tomato bisque soup, butternut squash, coleslaw, mashed potatoes

VEGETARIAN (NO EGGS/DAIRY): chunky cinnamon applesauce, cranberry walnut relish, fruit salad, steamed vegetables, zucchini marinara, apple cobbler, tossed salad (without croutons and dressing)

NON-VEGETARIAN: According to Boston Market, the following may contain animal-derived enzymes: black beans and rice, broccoli and red peppers, Caesar salad, buttered corn, honey wheat and white roll, macaroni and cheese, Mediterranean pasta salad, new potatoes, Jumpin' Juice squares, squash casserole, rice pilaf, creamed spinach, stuffing, tortellini salad, gravies

BRUEGGER'S BAGEL BAKERY

VEGETARIAN: all bagels, the cream cheeses (except for bacon scallion and smoked salmon), blondie bars, mint brownies