Fast Food! But Is It Vegetarian Friendly?
By Abby Kornele and Finley Wettstein
Since the beginning of time, the act of killing for survival has been severely normalized. Meat mass-produced in factories, farms created just to raise cows for slaughter, to then be served on a plate for our country to be fed. But not everyone chooses to follow this “meat-eating” path. Many people have decided to eliminate meat from their diet completely.
My name is Abby Kornele and I am currently a junior at Jenks High School. I haven’t eaten meat in five years. Don’t get me wrong, I used to love chicken nuggets and crispy bacon. But as I grew up I couldn’t really see the fairness of killing animals for our own pleasure.
As a vegetarian, one struggle I have faced is the ability to grab a quick meal from a fast food restaurant. I find myself just getting fries or maybe a grilled cheese. But my options have always been extremely limited.
My name is Finley Wettstein and I’m a sophomore at Jenks High School, while I don’t fully agree with our “meat eating” morals and ethics, I do think meat is a natural part of our diet. As a student-athlete, I struggle to maintain my protein and carb intake without high protein substances like meat.
I was interested to eat like a vegetarian and see what it was like to not eat meat for a few meals. I was shocked to see how little vegetarian options there are, especially in our small town.
We decided to find different vegetarian options at fast food restaurants near Jenks High School. Our choices were the four restaurants located on the corners right off Main Street and Elm: Taco Bell, McDonalds, Arby’s, and Salad And Go. As you read our reviews we’ll list the restaurant names, include our conversation with the workers, give our individual reviews, and then our ratings. We ranked all of these options out of 5 and based the overall score on a rubric we created.
The rubric consisted of: price, number of options, fulfillment, messiness, and flavor.
Taco Bell
While they are typically known for their ground beef tacos and burritos, their menu offers a “veggie cravings” section with all vegetarian options. They are able to replace any meat with your choice of black or refried beans. But we still wanted to hear about their specific recommendations.
“Welcome to Taco Bell! Order when you’re ready,” said the worker.
“Hi! Before we order I have a question, do you have any options on your menu you would recommend for a vegetarian?” said Kornele.
“We do have our fiesta veggie burrito, it comes with black beans,” said the worker.
So we took a risk and gave it a try.
Order: Fiesta Veggie Burrito, Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Tacos substituted with black beans, and the Spicy Potato Soft Taco.
Image of our receipt from Taco Bell.
The Veggie Fiesta Burrito: black beans, rice, chipotle sauce, tomatoes, cheese blend, sour cream, guacamole, and fiesta strips ~ $2 (American Vegetarian Association Certified)
Abby- This burrito was absolutely disgusting. As soon as I took my first bite there were so many different flavors mixing in my mouth and not a single one tasted appetizing. A specific flavor that stood out to me was barbecue. Barbecue in a burrito?? What was even worse than the flavor was the fact it was freezing cold. I don’t know if I was expecting it to be hot, but the coolness was definitely unsettling. Although I didn’t take m
ore than two bites, the size of the burrito was a decent size and would fill you up if you chose to suffer and eat the entire thing. In the end, please do not waste your $2 on this.
Finley- This fiesta burrito was like a fiesta in my mouth, but not a good one. This burrito was verryyyyy spicy. The flavors made me very uncomfortable because I found it very hard to identify what I was tasting. I was expecting more of a classic bean burrito, not veggies and rice wrapped in a tortilla. This burrito contained ‘fiesta strips’ which are red, crunchy tortilla strips that are the opposite of appetizing. Do not be deceived by the picture on Taco Bell’s menu, this is not a good vegetarian option.
Doritos Locos Tacos with black beans: black beans, lettuce, cheese, all in a nacho cheese doritos shell ~ $2.49
Abby- This was my first experience trying a Doritos Locos Taco and I was somewhat disappointed. The first bite had the perfect asmr crunch and I was hit with the Dorito cheese flavor. But once the flavor passed, it was somewhat bland. The black beans had a seasoning to them but the flavor didn’t last long. Unlike the Fiesta Burrito this taco was very warm and stayed warm until I finished it. I ended up eating most of the taco but was definitely not full afterwards. I would recommend ordering two or pair this with another menu item.
Finley- After trying a Doritos Locos Taco for the first time I was addicted, the crispy taco paired with the Doritos shell compliments the taco perfectly. I thought substituting ground beef with black beans would ruin the flavor, but instead it was the opposite. The taco tasted almost the exact same, but the substituted black beans just enhanced the whole taco. I don’t usually love lettuce on a taco but this lettuce addition is my only exception. This was a very small taco, and not very filling, so I would recommend getting more than one, unless you are just stopping by to get a light snack.
Spicy Potato Soft Taco: potatoes, lettuce, cheese, and chipotle sauce ~ $1
Abby- Let me start this with saying please never ever purchase the Spicy Potato Soft Taco. In the time it took me to reach over to the bag, grab the taco, bring it over to me, and take a bite, half of the cheese had fallen into the tiny crevices of my car. So my impression was bad from the start. When I took a bite my mouth immediately became dry and lost all its moisture. I continued chewing and the flavor was somewhat bland. So I took another bite to get deeper into the burrito. This bite had the overwhelming barbecue flavor again. Absolutely disgusting. After comparing the ingredients of this taco and the Fiesta Burrito I believe the barbecue flavor is from the chipotle sauce. I’m personally not too familiar with the flavor of chipotle sauce so ignore all of my complaints if that barbecue flavor is normal. I would not order this again and would extremely advise you to do the same.
Finley- I only have 3 words to describe this taco: dry, spicy, and cold. Not only is this taco disgusting it is also extremely messy, with cheese falling with every bite. Not ideal for a tasty, quick snack. If you like sriracha potato flavored food, and aren’t extremely picky with what you eat, I might recommend this food item. But if you are like me, and like a more classic Tex-mex, I would not order this. I took only two bites and decided I could not finish this taco.
Abby recommendation: Taco Bell is typically one of my favorite fast food restaurants because I find they have lots of meatless options. Unfortunately for this review most of the items we ordered were a disappointment. My usual order is a Cheesy Gordita Crunch and replacing the ground beef with refried beans, or I enjoy a simple Bean Burrito without onions. I would highly recommend these two options and I am sorry we don’t have a proper review for either one.
Overall rating: 3.5/5
Able to substitute meat with beans, therefore almost anything can be turned into a vegetarian option
Good prices
A little messy
Small portions are not filling
Either very bad or very good
McDonalds
“Hello! Do you have any options you would recommend for a vegetarian?” said Kornele.
“Uh... You know, not typically. We quit serving salads a while ago, sometimes people order a quarter pounder with no meat,” said the worker.
We had never heard about McDonalds serving a side salad so we were disappointed to see it was gone. But we were eager to try a burger with no patty.
Order: Quarter pounder with no meat, fries, and apple slices.
Quarter Pounder With No Patty: quarter pound bun, roma tomatoes, american cheese, lettuce, pickles, onions, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise ~ $8.50 with meal
Image of our Quarter Pounder with no patty.
Abby- I have tried a burger without a patty many times but never from McDonalds. So although I knew what I was getting into, I was still very eager to take a bite. My first bite flooded me with so many nostalgic memories. I grew up getting McDonalds so much, but ever since I became a vegetarian I almost never have it. Although the familiar flavor was comforting to me, it lacked the warmth of a typical burger. Because there was no patty to create that heat, it was like eating a salad between two buns. But a salad full of ketchup and pickles and mustard. I would definitely purchase this again and I think it is an amazing option if a vegetarian is being dragged to McDonalds with their friends, but I would never find myself craving this burger.
Finley- While nothing can beat a McDonald's hamburger, this burger with no patty isn’t half bad. I was skeptical of this pattyless patty, because it was just a burger stripped of what actually made it a burger, so why would it be good? Without the patty, the burger was cold and obviously lacked the usual flavor of meat. There were lots of condiments, including ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise. Lots and lots of mayonnaise. If you do not like mayonnaise I would not recommend this burger as with every bite more slipped out of the bun. The bun took up half of the burger causing it to be chewy and it was pretty messy. The saltiness of the patty was missing, substituted for a relishy taste. But, if you are looking for a vegetarian option, this burger is a good way to go, you still get the iconic McDonalds meal without the meat.
Our reviews on the next two items were the exact same so we combined them for you.
Classic Fries: potatoes, vegetable oil, natural beef flavoring ~ $2
These were perfectly warm, crunchy, soft, and delicious. I’m sure almost everyone has had these fries before, but in the vegetarian world this is a very controversial snack. According to McDonalds.com these fries may not be considered vegetarian. In their ingredients list they claim these have “*natural Beef Flavor Contains Hydrolyzed Wheat And Hydrolyzed Milk As Starting Ingredients”. So while there technically isn’t beef in their fries, they still have natural beef flavoring.
Plastic Bag of Apple Slices: $1.19
These apples were very juicy, crunchy, sweet, and an extremely easy snack. But sadly there were only 3.5 slices in the bag, defining these are probably best to be saved for small kids.
Overall rating: 3/5
Good prices
A little messy
A few options
Decent tasting
Salad and Go
We knew when we decided to go here that they already had vegetarian options. So to save ourselves from the embarrassment of asking for vegetarian options when they clearly advertise tofu, we decided our order before getting to the drive thru.
Caesar Salad with Tofu: parmesan cheese, croutons, romaine lettuce, and tofu ~ $6.49
Image of our caesar salad with tofu.
Most of the salads on their menu sadly come with bacon so we decided on the caesar salad, but we would like to inform you that the dressing is made with fish. So take this into consideration when choosing the salad you get.
Abby- I first wanted to try the tofu on itself without the rest of the salad. It was quite soft with lots of flavor and I really enjoyed eating it on its own. Once I tried it with the rest of the salad the flavors blended extremely well. The aspect that stood out the most to me was the soft tofu texture surrounded by the crunchy lettuce. I think this is an absolutely amazing option for a vegetarian and is extremely filling.
Finley- Also just trying the tofu first, my initial reactions were not positive. As someone who usually likes tofu, this tofu was disgusting. It was soft and squishy, as tofu usually is, but for some reason this texture was not it. In very harsh terms, to me, this tofu tastes like throw up. It was slightly spicy and had a barbeque after taste, but also an after taste of fish. Although, the salad itself was not bad. I loved the seasoned croutons and crunchy lettuce, all complimented perfectly by their dressing.
Overall rating: 4/5
Lots of options
Not messy
Filling
A little more expensive
Subjective tasting
Arbys
While we are well aware of Arby’s' slogan, “We Have The Meats”, we wanted to challenge that and see if all they really do have is meat.
“Do you have any options you would recommend for a vegetarian?” said Kornele
Their reaction consisted of a long pause and slight laugh.
“For a vegetarian?! Oh man…” said the worker, “our mozzarella sticks are pretty good”
Order: Mozzarella sticks and curly fries
Because of their lack of items, our reviews are combined to save you from hearing the same things over and over again.
Image of our order of mozzarella sticks and curly fries.
Mozzarella sticks: melted mozzarella fried in breadcrumbs ~ $4.29
These mozzarella sticks have the perfect outer layer of crunch, combined with salty and tangy cheese. While this isn’t the most fresh and healthy option, this greasy and oily snack was delicious.
Curly fries: fried, curly potatoes ~ $2.99
These fries are salty, tangy, and fried to perfection. They are crisp and flavorful, leaving you with a potatoey and smoky taste in your mouth.
While neither one of these would be considered more than a side or snack, we did quite enjoy them. And would definitely order again.
Overall rating: 2/5
More expensive options for smaller portions
A good snack
Not super filling
Delicious
Getting to try all of these different menu options was such an honor and genuinely so fun for the both of us. We hope this helped you learn more about the availability of vegetarian options at popular fast food chains and whether they’re worth a try. If you are interested in any other kinds of reviews check out some other stories on our website!
