Let’s have a chat about the vegan situation at the IKEA restaurant on Oxford Street, London.
First off, hats off to IKEA for offering proper vegan options. Those vegan meatballs are impressive. It’s brilliant seeing such a massive retailer embracing plant-based choices, from the plant balls to the hot dogs and even the soft serve ice cream. It really shows the tides are turning and I’m impressed.
But here’s the annoying part. The whole ordering process is an absolute muddle.
Read more below.
When you’re at the touchscreen picking your meal, you go for the plant balls and then it asks if you want to add mash and gravy. Fair enough, right? Except nowhere on the screen does it tell you that the mash and gravy are not vegan because they contain milk.
So, if you’re not paying close attention or just assuming the sides are vegan-friendly with the vegan main, you end up with a meal that’s not fully plant-based. Bit of a letdown.
For a company that’s generally seen as quite forward-thinking on these things, I expect more clarity. And honestly, it would be fantastic if IKEA took that extra step to make the mash and gravy vegan. It’s not asking too much. Imagine a fully vegan-friendly meal at one of the biggest, most famous retailers on the planet. That’d be proper progress.
So, when you’re ordering those delicious plant balls, make sure you swap the mash and gravy for the fries/chips instead. They are vegan.
What do you lot think? Have you been caught out by this confusing menu situation at IKEA? Would love to hear your thoughts. It feels like a missed opportunity, but maybe if enough of us make our feelings known, IKEA will sort it out.
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