Well, I hope I’m not the only vegan who vegan-towned Applebee’s with the Mystery Value Bonus Cards they gave out. After I surmised from Facebook postings that meat-eaters were hoarding them, I attempted to encourage some vegans on Facebook to request the cards too. Only one vegan person said she would. If more vegan animal activists stepped up, perhaps Applebee’s would sooner add a vegan entrée to their menu.
I vegan-towned Applebee’s four (4) times (minimal compared to the meat eaters) and here’s what I learned:
First of all, don’t give your order to the server. Use the tablet on your table. Why? The first time I went there, confused about whether I was supposed to use the tablet or talk to the server, I opted to tell the server, Samantha D., my order. One item I requested was the side order of sweet potato fries ($2.99.) But out came the “Sweet Potato Fries and Dips,” and as the dips are certainly not vegan, I automatically rejected them. But the bill reflected the extra $2.51 surcharge for the dips that I did not order and did not accept. When I told Samantha D. of her mistake, she said the surcharge reflected a bigger order of fries and the dips were really just a freebie. (I figured out she was totally wrong after successfully ordering the side order of sweet potato fries on my three (3) subsequent visits.) She said she could only change the bill if she talked to her manager and I told her to forget it. That’s the beauty of using free gift cards. It’s one thing to get ripped off (paying for a non-vegan item you didn’t order) when you are paying out of pocket, but when paying with a free gift card you don’t sweat it. (Ironically, Samantha D. said she loves the Veggie Grill!)
Sweet potato fries after non-vegan dips sent back, chips & salsa, strawberry frozen lemonade.
The only other vegan items they had were chips & salsa, steamed broccoli, sweet & spicy pickles, and beverages. The menu on the tablet listed some sides that could have possibly been vegan (“Cranberry Pecan Rice Blend,” “Mexi Rice,” “Fried Red Potatoes”), but they weren’t mentioned on Applebee’s “Nutritional Information” (10/02/2015, 11/12/2015) and “Allergen Information” (08/17/2015, 11/12/2015) documents, so who knows?
While I don’t mind chips & salsa, they didn’t go well with the sweet & spicy pickles (cucumbers with dressing) because both items are spicy. So, I chose the pickles over the chips on my subsequent visits. Sometimes they are served in a bowl with a lot of spicy dressing, which you can also dip your broccoli and fries in.
Sweet & spicy pickles, side order of sweet potato fries, steamed broccoli, mango frozen lemonade
Since the Mystery Value Bonus Cards did not cover alcoholic beverages, I went with the frozen lemonades (strawberry and mango are both good.)
So, I hope if Applebee’s does this promotion again, they finally have a vegan entrée on the menu and even if they don’t, more vegans should step-in and tell the meat eaters to move over.
I like that Applebee’s has free wi-fi. Last month I was in Applebee’s on a Monday in the noon hour checking my e-mail on my LG G4 that I won (yay!), when I saw an e-mail saying that I won a gold-plated Dorito (PETA would call that an “accidentally vegan” prize.) The e-mail came in on Sunday in the noon hour. I tried to claim the prize, but couldn’t, instead being informed I missed the 24 hour time limit to claim my prize. Later I checked the rules of the contest and found that there was no such rule described for claiming the prize so I later called customer service telling them I wanted to claim my prize and they should follow their own rules. A customer service representative called my back later saying that there was nothing to be done because another winner had been drawn. So, my advice is don’t play any sweepstakes by Frito-Lay unless: a) you check your e-mail so frequently like a loser that you couldn’t possibly miss the deadline to claim a prize, or b) it’s an instant win game where you can claim your prize shortly after playing the game (if you win.)
Side Note About WordPress
Unfortunately, WordPress has defects. For awhile now, I can’t submit comments on any blogs. The comments disappear once submitted before the moderators even see them. Who wants to waste time contributing intelligent comments for nothing? As inspirational and well-written as my blog is, if WordPress has defects then it brings down the quality of my blog through no fault of my own. Sad. Like living in the digital age?
Vegan Town USA 