Inside Surly's new $30M Facility

Vegetarian hositle?

 

Yup, BMC hostile too

 

Most vegetarians I know don't eat animal fat, but they eat cheese and eggs. Logic doesn't play any role in what they eat or won't eat.

 

I don't follow you...

 

Some won't even eat cheese because the rennet in it is made from animals!

 

Salads, appetizers, and sides. Yeah. I agree that I've seen worse, but not even a veggie burger? Really? Oh, and there is a veggie pizza. That's not bad.

 

It's more specific than that. Cattle rennet comes from the inside of a slaughtered calf's stomach. So, yeah, there are vegetarians who don't eat cheese for that reason. However, the truth is that cattle rennet is rarely used these days. Rennet derived from vegetables is far more common.

There are other reasons some vegetarians/vegans choose not to eat cheese, though. It's not just the rennet.

Regardless, the point I was raising is that I don't think Surly did a very good job of including vegetarian options in their menu. That's still true.

 

How many vegetarian options does Sporty's have?

 

Their menu lists cheese curds and mozz sticks with a (v) next to them, so have to assume that means vegetarian in some sense of the word. They also have a "vegan black bean burger". French fries, green bean fries, sweet potato fries, chips and salsa, onion rings, banana pepper rings, and tots could all fall into that category too. So let's call it 10 menu items.

http://sportyspub.com/menu.html

Clearly I haven't signed off on the meme-ification of Sporty's yet. It is a solid dive bar with good dive bar food and a steady selection of craft offerings, some of them uncommon. And it's cheap. What more could you ask for?

 

What I'm taking away from this is that they are all around better than the new Surly brewery.

 

I approve!
But seriously -and despite my own redneck pretentions- I am in agreement with Seamus insofar as:

1. I've worked food (beverage to an equal extent) for thirty years, and understand contemporary needs and trends in the foodservice and contemporary casual industries. Making Vegan and vegetarian-friendly (and whether the client makes this lifestyle choice for moral, ethical, or health-related concerns it machts nichts) menu considerations a top priority is not an uncommon decision, nowadays, and especially for such a large-scale development as the one in question.

2. We're not living in Bonanza-land, anymore. Modern trends are not just fads, after all, and it isn't just hairy, bearded beergeeks with a craving for brisket (and moose knuckle served with a side of tuna tartare) who today's restaurateurs need to cater to. Proper Vegan and meat-free options --and plenty of them-- should have been a no-brainer, and at least equal to local-sourcing and organic considerations.

I now return you to your regularly-scheduled free-for-all.

 

Since you asked, I'll point out that Sporty's makes a vegan black bean burger in-house. It sort of proves my point if a little dive bar/burger joint puts more effort into catering to vegetarians than a brand new destination brewery.

 

Key here is BREWERY, not restaurant. It should mainly be about the beer for most people. I honestly eat a lot of vegetarian things when going out to eat and understand your point. The place is so new right now and the restaurant portion isn't open yet as far as I know (just serving food downstairs). I'm guessing their menu will go through some changes as time goes on and they will take feedback they get from guests to make necessary adjustments.

 

Maybe I'm just a dick, but if you don't eat meat, fish, or even cheese, I don't think you should complain about your only options being - salads, apps (pretzels and a plethora of veggies), and pizza. After all, if I didn't like lagers, IPA's, Pales, stouts, porters, etc, I shouldn't complain about them not providing a bunch of offerings to suit my tastes...

 

Except, unlike beer preferences, I don't avoid meat because of the taste.

 

Nah, you're not being a dick. You're just proving your ignorance. That's ok. There are a lot of people who are ignorant about what vegetarian meals are actually comprised of.

Look, this is all really simple. I have vegetarian friends. They happen to be the friends I go to taprooms with. So, when I look at the menu I look to see if there's food they'll want to eat. I don't see much, so when we go to the Surly taproom we'll almost certainly eat somewhere else first. As Chaz pointed out for such a large operation it's surprising that Surly didn't put more thought into this.

Will they improve with time? Maybe, but it's a glaring oversight for when they first open.

 

I'll eat some where else first not because of lack of vegetarian options, but simply because at their current price points the food isn't worth it.

 

Very true and I retract my statement in regards to that implication.

 

You're a good friend to cater your choice of establishment towards your friend's irrational--and in the case of vegans, unhealthy--pickiness. There are those of us, however, who are sick of such catering being so often a one way street. That doesn't make us ignorant of what vegetarian/vegan food is.

 

This whole argument is precisely why I rarely ever tell anyone I'm a vegetarian.