Tag Archives: vff

Vegan Fast Food: Papa John’s Edition

2025-03-31 Ater Imber Leave a comment

I’m going to be honest, I knew Papa John’s was a pizza place, but I never went to them before I was vegan. There wasn’t any particular reason (that I remember), it just wasn’t my pizza place of choice.

So, that begs the question: why is my older brother obsessed with them? The last few years, any time we start talking about pizza places, he’s hailed Papa John’s as being the best pizza place ever!

Last July, I finally decided to humour him and we got it for lunch.

I was disappointed, to say the least.

The vegan options? Abysmally small! They have only a small selection of veggie toppings, 1 kind of dough that’s vegan (the gluten free crust is not it!) and they don’t even have vegan cheese!

It’s 2025!

I could maaaybe understand not having a faux meat option, but no cheese? Come on, Papa!

What the hell have you been doing over there?

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Pizza

Hand-Tossed Original Dough (Thin, Original or New York Style Crust)
Signature/Original Pizza Sauce (Tomato)
BBQ Sauce
Onions
Jalapeno Peppers
Banana Peppers
Green Peppers
Mushrooms
Roma Tomatoes
Pineapple Tidbits
Spinach
Black Olives
Green Olives

Sides

Original Breadsticks

Dips

Signature Garlic Sauce (Lactic Acid)
Buffalo Sauce
BBQ Sauce
Pizza Sauce
Spicy Garlic Sauce (Lactic Acid)

Other

Whole Pepperoncinis
Crushed Red Pepper
Special Seasoning

Drinks

Pepsi
Diet Pepsi
Pepsi Zero Sugar
Mountain Dew (Yellow 5)
Aquafina
Starry
Starry Zero

Their website also makes it kind of hard to find the ingredient information, but once you find the page it includes very detailed descriptions and doesn’t appear to hide anything behind vague-sounding names.

For example, the Banana Peppers list sodium metabisulfite and then in brackets next to it, is the explanation, ‘a salt, maintains freshness‘.

The only iffy thing is the lactic acid. They don’t say whether it’s plant- or animal-based, so it’s up to you to decide if you’re willing to chance it.

Their Allergen Chart is also fairly straight forward to look through.

I will also say, despite their lack of vegan options, their Signature Garlic Sauce and Breadsticks were pretty good. I know this isn’t a product review, but it’d be the only thing from them I’d recommend trying. Unless you’re into sad no-cheese pizza that’s thin enough it feels like a tortilla and you have to fold it in half just to bite it.

They’re good for a snack/side, but definitely not for a filling vegan pizza meal.

At least, not at the moment.

Like this post? Check out more of the Vegan Fast Food series!

*If anyone from Papa John’s wants to reach out for more specific feedback, I’d be happy to share!

The Veg Life, Vegan Tips

Vegan Fast Food: Dairy Queen Edition

2023-06-19 Ater Imber Leave a comment

Not too surprisingly, Dairy Queen does have vegan options, but there’s not a lot of them, and, their most popular items haven’t been veganized. (Yet)

What did surprise me however, was the fact that they sold more than just ice cream. Their website included burgers, chicken fingers, and more!

Starting in the top left-hand corner and moving clockwise:

Non-Dairy Dilly Bars
Side Salad
Fries
Onion Rings
Soft Pretzel Sticks with Zesty Queso*
Cherry Misty Slush (Red 40)
Kiwi Strawberry Misty Slush (Red 40)
Blue Raspberry Misty Slush (Blue 1, Red 40)
Lemon Lime Misty Slush
Mug Root Beer
Mountain Dew Original (Yellow 5)
Dr. Pepper Original
Brisk Iced Tea

*According to the ingredients listed, the Queso isn’t vegan, however the pretzels are. The description said the queso came on the side, so while I’ve never tried to, you might be able to order the pretzels and ask them to hold the dip. Or give it away to a non-vegan friend.

I also found ingredients for a Grape Misty Slush, but wasn’t able to find a picture.

One thing I found a little… let’s call it ‘sneaky’ is that the Pepsi and Diet Pepsi that are listed on their website have “artificially flavoured Vanilla Ice Milk” listed in the ingredients.

I’m not trying to accuse Dairy Queen of anything – their thing is ice cream, so it makes sense a lot of their offerings contain milk – however, the fact that the Pepsi and Diet Pepsi are listed with the other pops, and not under the Blizzard or other drink labels just doesn’t sit right with me.

According to the ingredients, it’s clearly some sort of drink mix, but to list it as just “Pepsi” and not tell people it’s a mixed drink… I don’t know, I just don’t like that.

Anyway, there you go. If you ever find yourself stranded with nothing other than a Dairy Queen around, now you know at least you won’t starve.

Like this article? Check out the rest of my Vegan Fast Food series!

The Veg Life, Vegan Tips

Vegan Fast Food: KFC Edition

2022-08-15 Ater Imber 1 Comment

That’s right!

Even a fast food place with chicken in it’s name has vegan options!

Granted, there’s not too many, but still – we really are living in the future!

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Starting in the top-hand corner, and moving clockwise:

Potato Bun
10.5in Tortilla
Flatbread
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Pickles
Plant Based Sandwich*
Spicy Plant Based Sandwich
Spicy Plant Based Sandwich Combo
Fries
Southern Plum Dip
Ketchup
Mug of Root Beer
Pepsi Original
Diet Pepsi
Mountain Dew
Dr. Pepper
7-Up
Orange Crush
Brisk Iced Tea
Pure Leaf Black Tea
Pure Leaf Lemon Tea
Pure Leaf Raspberry
Dole Apple Juice
Dole Orange Juice
Dole Strawberry Kiwi Cocktail
Ocean Spray Cranberry Cocktail
Oasis FruitZoo Apple Juice
Aquafina Water

There were a few other things that were vegan, but I wasn’t able to find pictures of. Those items are:

Mayonnaise Type Dressing
Sweet and Smokey BBQ Sauce
Kentucky Hot Sauce
Salt Packets
Pepper Packets
Vinegar Packets

One thing to note, for the plant-based fillet, though the website says it has vegan ingredients, a different page on the website said it’s cooked in the same fryer as their meat fillets. I believe this is why they’re officially calling it their ‘plant based’ sandwich, instead of actually using the word ‘vegan’.

It’s great to see them opening up to plant based options, but I’ll leave whether or not you want to buy the sandwich up to you.

Perhaps in the future, they’ll see their error and begin cooking it in a different fryer. But for now, it’s a no go for me.

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Vegan Fast Food: Chipotle Edition

2022-04-25 Ater Imber Leave a comment

As far as fast food goes, Chipotle is a pretty healthy option. They have lots of recognizable, real food to choose from, including an awesome selection of vegetables, and they let you pick what goes in your meal!

They also have the option to filter based on diet (Vegetarian, Vegan, Soy, Gluten, etc) and, they make their ingredients very easy to find.

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Chipotle Website Dietary Filters

Ingredients listed (with pictures) right on the website!

As if that wasn’t enough, when you click on an ingredient in the above list, it opens a little description about it, and a list that tells you which of their foods the ingredient is used in!

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Honestly, this was one of not only the easiest, but also the fastest ‘researches’ I did into a company’s ingredients.

I 100% agree with what they say on their ingredient page: why can’t every company be this straight forward?

So, we know that they make it easy to find things for your vegan preferences, but how many things actually come up in that list?

A hell of a lot!

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Starting in the upper left-hand corner, and moving clock-wise:

Cilantro-Lime Brown Rice
Cilantro-Lime White Rice
Black Beans
Pinto Beans
Yellow Onion
Red Onion
Tomato
Romaine Lettuce
Bell Peppers
Avocado
Tomatillo
Red Chili
Jalapeno Pepper
Serrano Pepper
Poblano Pepper
Chipotle Chili
Sweet Corn
Burrito
Burrito Bowl
Salad
Taco
Tortilla Chips

I wasn’t able to find pictures of the following, but the below foods are also vegan:

Fajita Vegetables
Fresh Tomato Salsa
Guacamole
Roasted Chili-Corn Salsa
Sofritas
Tomatillo Green-Chili Salsa
Tomatilla Red-Chili Salsa

*I would like to point out that these are ingredients listed, and vegan options available at Chipotle for Canada. If you live in a different country, I always recommend checking the ingredients for where you live, as companies often change the ingredients depending on which country they’re selling in.

Like this article? Check out the rest of the Vegan Fast Food series here!

Bloggy

Sneak Peeks of Posts for 2022

2022-01-17 Ater Imber Leave a comment

Happy New Year everyone!

I hope you all had a relaxing break and are ready to get back to it.

This year, I wanted to do something a little different. Instead of jumping right into a brand new article on the first day, I thought instead, I could do a post that would show you what’s to come.

I figured this would be good for two reasons:

It gives you guys adequate time to get excited for what’s to come, and
It gives me an extra week to get some posts scheduled.

I’m (mostly) kidding on that second point. But, I have been doing lots of research in my time off from posting and, apparently, people like to feel like insiders, and like to see teasers of what’s coming up, so they can build the anticipation for the thing, have time to prepare, etc.

And while my blog doesn’t put out heart-stopping excitement, I still thought it might be cool to try out.

So, below, you’ll see some previews of posts to come.

Enjoy! (And get ready)

AterImber.com - Writing Tips - Photoshop Tutorial Series - Puddles (PHSH Effect 19) - Puddles Example Pic - phsh tutorial, photoshop, tutorial, indie author, writing tips, book covers, book cover tips, photo manip Puddles (PHSH Effect #19, Coming Apr. 4th)

AterImber.com - Writing - Throw Away Fics - Make It Count - SPN Fanfiction, Supernatural, Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester, Crowley, Bobby Singer, Crobby, fluff, indie author, reading, reading material, Patreon, short stories Make It Count (Unlearning Series Fic #9, Coming May 9th)

Lens Flares (PHSH Effect #21, Coming July 25th)

AterImber.com - The Veg Life - Vegan Tips - Vegan Fast Food KFC Edition - KFC Preview - veganism, vegan tips, vegan fast food, food blogger, food reviewer, KFC, plant-based, meat-free Vegan Fast Food: KFC (Coming Aug. 22nd)

Curses (Coming Oct. 14th)

Who Gives a Crap Review (Coming Mar. 28th)

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The Veg Life, Vegan Tips

Vegan Fast Food: Subway Edition

2021-06-21 Ater Imber Leave a comment

Some people don’t include Subway as a fast food place, because what they serve is more healthy then usual, but I say it’s called ‘fast food’, not ‘unhealthy food’.

Also, as vegans, we don’t really have the luxury of leaving places off our lists of acceptable places to eat.

Luckily though, Subway is pretty much a vegans’ dream because they have a lot of vegetables, and it’s pretty reasonably priced.

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In order, starting in the top left corner:

Ciabatta
Italian White Bread
Tortilla Wrap
Banana Peppers
Cucumber
Green (Bell) Pepper
Jalapeno Pepper
Pickles
Lettuce
Green Olives
Black Olives
Red Onion
Tomato
Falafel
Veggie Patty*
Beyond Meat Meatball
Avocado Puree
Guacamole
Black Bean Soup
Lays Classic
Lays Oven Baked Classic
AquaFina Water
Pepsi
Brisk Lemon Iced Tea
Pure Leaf Lemon Iced Tea
G2 Fruit Punch (Contains Red 40)
Tropicana Orange Juice
Subway Coffee

There were also some vegan options I wasn’t able to find pictures for. The not-picture vegan options are:

Hearty Italian Bread
Roasted Garlic Bread
Grilled Onions and Peppers
House Sandwich Sauce (Zesty Italian)
Mustard (Deli Brown)
Mustard (Yellow)
Sweet Onion Sauce
Mediterranean Soup

*Some restaurants have a veggie patty that contains egg and/or milk. Please ask before ordering.

I was surprised to learn that Subway offered coffee, and that so many of their sauces are vegan! Every time I’ve gone previously, I never got any sauce, unless they had ketchup. I thought I’d be cursed with eating dry sandwiches forever, but now I’m excited to try some sauces!

I also recommend asking the store what they have, as not every location always has every option available.

Check out the rest of the Vegan Fast Food series here!

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Vegan Fast Food: A&W Edition

2020-08-17 Ater Imber Leave a comment

Just like with the other additions of this series, I’m beginning to notice that while there are more offerings than before, there’s still pretty pitiful amounts of vegan food available at non-vegan fast food places.

Seriously, didn’t these guys get the memo?

Luckily though, it makes it easier to do these types of posts because it takes way less time to research the ingredients than it does for the Surprising Vegan series.

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Starting in the top left corner, going clockwise:

Beyond Meat Burger*
Beyond Sausage and Egger*
Russet Thick Cut Fries
Sweet Potato Fries
Root Beer Lollipops**
Root Beer**
Coca-Cola**
Iced Tea
Sprite
Apple Juice
Orange Juice
Lemonade***

*In case you missed it when it was announced, the Beyond Meat burger is not vegan upon ordering. You need to clarify that you would like it with out the mayo or mustard.

The Beyond Sausage and Egger is also (unfortunately) not vegan upon ordering. For the Sausage and Egger, you actually have to ask them to hold the egg and cheese. The margarine they use is actually vegan-friendly! And, you can also always get the Beyond Meat Sausage and Veggie instead. (That one the whole thing is vegan, but it’s listed on the website under the Beyond Sausage and Egger)

**Okay, so this is a bit of a weird thing I discovered. For the Root Beer, it listed ‘Colour (Caramel IV)’ and me being the curious person I am, decided to Google what that was. In my Googling (it was actually pretty much the first thing that popped up) I discovered that this colouring wasn’t vegan, either. (If you don’t feel like clicking through, it was tested on rats and mice to see if it was toxic)

Some of the other names this Caramel IV goes by include:

Caramel Colour
Ammonia sulfite process caramel
Sulfite ammonia caramel
Sulfite ammonia process caramel
Acid-proof caramel
Beverage caramel
Soft-drink caramel

I’ll sadly be adding this to the list of other food dyes that are tested on animals and doing my best to avoid it. (Thank God I don’t drink pop!)

*** The Lemonade is vegan, but there was no picture available.

Well there you go!

There’s juuuust enough vegan food available so that you won’t starve if there’s nothing else around. And hey, at least they’ve got a burger option now!

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Writer – Vegan – Aspiring Buslifer