Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Hey guys!

Hobee's is a restaurant chain in south bay. Their menu is very vegetarian friendly but their vegan options are kind of boring. They have a tofu scramble, oatmeal bar, a portabella burger (sadly the veggie patty is not vegan), vegan chili, salad bar, and a veganizable wrap and pasta. They also offer soy milk for their coffee! My partner and I go there every weekend because they are pretty accommodating but I am getting tired of only getting the scramble...which is a bit bland, to be honest. I'd really like to see more breakfast options, like egg-free pancakes or french toast, veg breakfast burrito, and dairy-free coffee cake/muffins, and a vegan burger patty on the lunch menu.

So my questions are,
-since they are already veg-friendly, is it presumptuous to press them to have more options?
-should I suggest new items to add to the menu, or ways to veganize current options?
-should I contact their headquarters or the manager at our local restaurant (the staff know us at the local one)
-should I email, call, or make a request in person at the restaurant?
-how should I word my request so I don't sound pushy or ungrateful? I want to express that I appreciate what they offer but tactfully suggest that it could be so much more

Thanks for any advice! I've never contacted a restaurant before so I'm really nervous it won't go over well.

Here's a link to their website: http://www.hobees.com/
They just received some veg award from the Palo Alto Humane Society so I think that's a good sign!

I think I'd try to press them to make more of their regular menu items vegan. On a side note, I used to go there nearly every weekend as a kid when my family lived in the south bay. I loved their coffee cake.

Oh, and I'd do it in a nicely worded letter. Start by maybe congratulating them on their humane society award.

You could contact Compassion Over Killing for advice. This is kind of their area of expertise, in fact they just got that small chain Pita Pit to add a new vegan option. They at least might be able to help you out with talking points (I think they generally like to approach it from a cost angle), and information as the where the company could find vegan ingredients.

Ooh I never knew this place existed, I want to go check it out now!

I like Chris' idea about a letter starting with a congrats for their award.



P.S. Nebraskaalaska, what was the vegan option Pita Pit added? Just curious, I used to go there alllll the time when I was in undergrad back in Canada.

They now have a vegan black bean patty!

Cool!

The black bean patty at Pita Pit saved me on my bike trip this weekend when the Taco Del Mar in Oak Harbor was out of business. I'm glad you guys discussed it and it's a good thing I'm such a lurker in all threads food related. Also, it's pretty tasty! Although, it may have helped that I was ridiculously hungry.