Vegan Customer Horror Stories

Since it’s the season of all things spooky, we’re diving into some horror stories from vegan customers that are truly hair-raising! In honor of Halloween, we asked LinkedIn followers to share their worst experiences as vegans dining out, and within 24 hours, we received more than enough tales to send chills down any plant-based spine.

I’ll start with my own story as a vegan customer. Like most vegans, I’ve had my share of disappointing experiences, but this one was truly unforgettable. I ordered from a vegan menu—separate from the restaurant’s main menu—and when my pizza arrived, I noticed the cheese looked suspiciously dairy-like. I asked the waitress to double-check, and she returned confidently, assuring me it was indeed "vegan." Trusting her word, I shrugged it off, only to later find out from a fellow vegan that we were both served dairy cheese. It was a deeply upsetting and unacceptable moment. Unfortunately, it didn’t stop there—just yesterday, I received cow’s milk in my latte instead of the oat milk I’d requested. These experiences highlight how often vegans must stay vigilant, as a server’s smile and nod doesn’t always mean they fully understand our needs. Mislabeling, cross-contamination, and assumptions about “vegan” ingredients only add to the daily challenges.

If you’re reading this as a vegan, you’re probably nodding along in empathy, fully relating to these frustrating mishaps.

And if you’re not vegan, perhaps this will help explain why vegan customers ask so many questions—it’s not about being “difficult” but about avoiding situations we’ve experienced all too often. So, prepare yourself for some truly terrifying tales from the plant-based side of dining!

The whole story:''I was eating at a local Indian/Pakistani restaurant where they claimed to have an off-menu veggie stew that is vegan, and when I was eating it, I found a piece of beef, very traumatic for me. It looked like their veggie stew is just the beef stew & they had done their best to remove the beef - shocking! Due to this experience, I have never eaten at an Indian or Pakistani restaurant that didn't have clearly labelled vegan options.''

The whole story:''I was eating at a Mexican restaurant which is mainly vegetarian & they note on the menu that some dishes can be made vegan. I asked if the enchiladas could be made vegan, to which I was told that they would check, so instead I asked about the Fajitas but they weren't sure so I just asked them to bring me which even could be made vegan. I was then brough the enchiladas & while I was letting them cool down (luckily) they came with Fajitas too, to which I replied that I only ordered one dish & they then advised that they made a mistake & had just served me chicken.''

“She was taunting me joking about how good her meat sausage was & I then bite into mine, to immediately realize that they had mixed up our orders as mine was meat”

The whole story: ''I ordered a vegan sausage at a restaurant & my friend ordered a meat-based sausage, we got the order & she was taunting me joking about how good her meat sausage was & I then bite into mine, to immediately realize that they had mixed up our orders as mine was meat. When I notified the server, I was told that I was in the wrong as their kitchen rules are ''red means dead'' so I should have known that the sausage in the black & not red basket was vegan. They didn't apologize, replace or refund me.''

“They told me they were too busy to make the wrap without the cheese”

The whole story: ''I was at a restaurant with a large group & they didn't have vegan options so while I was discussing with the waitress how they could make something vegan as they had a halloumi & vegetable wrap so I only needed to know that the wrap itself was vegan & remove the cheese, she did find out it was however eventually told me that they were too busy to make something ''off-menu'' which made no sense as it would have been the same dish, but less work as they wouldn't need to prepare the halloumi''

The whole story: ''I ordered a salad & it arrived with tuna in. I explained that I couldn't eat it & had ordered a vegan salad, they told me that they considered fish vegan & that if I didn't want it I would be banned from the restaurant!''

“I asked the waiter and he ensured me that it was vegan, however later he went to check and explained that it was actually dairy cheese he had served me!”

The whole story: ''I went for a high tea with friends, I had called in advance to let them know I was vegan. I was served random snacks, very different to what my non-vegan friends had. I then noticed that the cheese-based snacks smelled & looked like cows' cheese, I asked the waiter & he ensured me that it was vegan friendly, however later when he went to check he explained that it was dairy & that it had been miscommunication between the service staff & the chef''

And so many more…

''I attended a wedding & was literally served a steamed portobello mushroom in a bun!''

''I went to a restaurant & asked if the veggie burger was vegan & the owner said - well, what if I just say that it is & it isn't, you would never know!''

''I used to love a specific restaurant, until I found out that they put fish oil in all of their pasta salads, so I stopped going''

''I once went to a restaurant where their ketchup wasn't vegan! They used ham stock to home make it. Then when I asked for olive oil for my bread because they didn't have vegan butter, they said they didn't have any olive oil!''

''I went to a restaurant where they used chicken stock to make their salsa!''

''I was having lunch with a large group of friends, we instructed the server that the entire meal would be vegan. We had a great meal & then re-ordered another iced latte but it tasted different to the first one we had, when we asked, we found out that we had been served cow's milk''

While these stories may fit the spooky season, they highlight a serious and ongoing issue in hospitality. For vegan diners, these experiences aren't just frustrating—they erode trust in restaurants and can even be traumatic. Missteps like serving the wrong ingredients don't just harm customer relationships; they can lead to life-threatening situations. A recent story from Sky News illustrates this tragic reality, where a young girl lost her life after unknowingly being served cow’s milk. Likewise, a report from ABC News tells of a heartbreaking case where a young girl died due to a peanut allergy—all due to preventable mistakes.

These situations reveal the critical need for accurate labeling, thorough staff training, and strong processes to prevent cross-contamination. Failing in these areas can lead to food waste, unnecessary stress for staff, negative reviews, and, most importantly, dangerous outcomes for customers.

If your hospitality business needs support in understanding veganism, managing allergies, or implementing clear, scalable staff training processes, don’t hesitate to book a free consultation with our team. And if you’re a hotel group aiming to make lasting, impactful change, click here to explore our corporate strategic planning program.

This article was written by Hayley Cooper, COO of Vegan Hospitality.

You can contact Hayley at hayley@veganhospitality.com.