Eating plant-based at a D.A.M.N. restaurant. Here’s what you need to know.

You’re starting to think maybe you can actually pull off this plant-based thing… until the dinner invite pops into your DMs and suddenly, all you can think is:

What am I going to order?

And then your brain starts spinning…

• Maybe I’ll just say I can’t go because I don’t want to be “the picky one.” 

• I’ll just eat ahead of time so I can just order a small salad and say I’m not really hungry. 

• I guess I could just order something that’s not vegan, even though I don’t really want to, just because it’s easier.

And it doesn’t help when other people always seem to have something to say about it. If only I had a dollar for every time someone commented about how I eat grass and leaves… 🙄

Why does the thought of eating out when you’re plant-based take up so much mental space!?

If it makes you feel any better, it’s not your fault this feels hard. I’m five and a half years in (as I’m writing this) and I still ask myself regularly “Why don’t restaurants have more plant-based options!?” 

💰 But when it comes right down to it, restaurants are businesses, and their goal is to make money. And since most of the population still eats a standard meat-and-dairy diet, menus are designed to please the masses. 

You’re not wrong that plant-based meals are often limited, poorly labeled, or feel like an afterthought. Sometimes I swear the restaurant industry doesn’t even realize there are vegan options other than a hummus wrap and a veggie burger. 🤷‍♀️

So, ultimately, it falls on you to figure out how to make it work for you. 

For some of us, this is easy, and we have no problem advocating for what we want. And for the rest of us, this feels incredibly difficult and awkward and we struggle to stick with it when we find ourselves in this situation. 

The latter was most definitely me the first couple of years I was plant-based.

It was just easier to just eat something that wasn’t completely vegan than to draw attention to myself by asking for changes and substitutions.

But like anything else, the more you practice navigating restaurants, the easier it gets. Eventually, asking for what you actually want will just be second nature, you won’t worry about feeling awkward, and instead, you'll just know you can enjoy eating out anywhere, anytime.

So, because I keep hearing that eating out can be one of the most challenging parts of being plant-based, I took everything I’ve learned over the years and turned it into a four-step process I lovingly call: Eating Plant-Based at a D.A.M.N. restaurant.

The No-BS Way to Keep It Vegan

In case you’re new here and haven’t really gotten to know me yet, I tend to be a little sweary 😂. So, it only makes sense that my plan for one of the more frustrating parts about a plant-based lifestyle ended up with a name that’s a little bit spicy.

This process has four pretty simple steps: D.A.M.N.

D = Do your homework.

A = Actual menu check.

M = Make it your own.

N = Notice and tweak.

Let’s break them down.

D = Do your homework.

Don’t worry, there's no pop quiz at the end – this is the kind of homework that actually makes your life easier. 

Almost every restaurant these days has their menu online, and a quick peek at the menu before you head out can save you from staring blankly at a plate of plain iceberg lettuce later. 

Even if nothing is clearly labeled “vegan” or “plant-based,” you can usually spot menu items that could easily be tweaked, or sides that can be combined into a meal. Some restaurants even offer an entrée option that is a just combination of three or four sides.

⚠️ Keep in mind there might be dairy or eggs in unexpected places that aren’t necessarily obvious when you’re scanning the menu – a buttered burger bun, an egg wash on fried foods, or dairy in vinaigrette dressings. If these kinds of things are important to you, thinking about it now means you’ll be prepared to ask about it later. 

And having a game plan ahead of time takes the pressure off once you’re at the table.

You won’t feel rushed into ordering “just anything” because you’ll know what to expect and have a plan – and maybe even have a backup option just in case.

👉 Inside my 1:1 coaching program, I help clients practice this kind of planning so it becomes second nature. We look at menus together, talk through different restaurant scenarios, and make sure you feel ready for anything – so eating out doesn’t feel like a hurdle anymore.

A = Actual menu check

In a perfect world, the menu you checked online matches the one you’re handed at the restaurant. I don’t know about you, but I don’t live in that world. 😅 Menus change, and I’ve had plenty of meals where the dish I had planned to order was nowhere in sight.

Sometimes, there’s something even better waiting for you.

Other times… not so much.

That’s when you’ll be glad you actually did your homework. If your first choice is no longer an option, you’ve got a Plan B.

And if Plan B isn’t there either? You still won’t be starting from scratch because you’ve already scoped out some other possibilities.

Remind yourself: you can still make it work. There’s almost always a way to pull together a meal, even if it’s not the meal of your dreams.

👉 With my clients, we talk a lot about this mindset piece – and how to handle the unexpected without letting it derail your progress. That way, when the hostess hands you a menu that bears no resemblance to what you saw online, you can roll with it instead of stressing out about it.

M = Make it your own

When I first went plant-based, I hated asking for substitutions, and I sometimes settled for boring salads or vegetarian options I didn’t really want. Which, in retrospect, seems ridiculous, because I’d been special ordering things my entire life to avoid mustard and mayonnaise… long before I was vegan. 🤦‍♀️

The bottom line is that restaurants are used to requests.

Customizing your order doesn’t make you a burden – it just makes you a customer. And as long as you’re reasonable, most places are happy to accommodate. You’re paying for your meal, and you have every right to ask for what you want. 

So, take up a little space and make it your own. 

If you see ingredients somewhere else on the menu, they can often be rearranged into something plant-based without much effort.

So...

Swap the chicken on a salad for beans. 

Order the veggie burger with avocado instead of mayo. 

Load up your pizza with veggies and skip the cheese.

Ask if they can make fried rice without the egg. 

💡 And don’t be afraid to call ahead, especially for special occasions or at nicer restaurants.

Some of my best plant-based meals ever have come from calling in advance and asking if they could accommodate us. Chefs often get creative – and I’ve ended up with meals that were even better than what was on the regular menu.

👉 This is exactly what I help my clients practice: getting comfortable advocating for themselves and asking for what they want. It doesn’t have to feel awkward or “extra” – it’s just part of being a customer who knows what they want.

N = Notice and tweak.

Not every restaurant experience will be perfect, and that’s okay. What matters is taking a few minutes afterward to ask yourself:

• What worked well?

• Was anything a total cluster?

• Would I come back here again?

• What could I do differently next time?

Getting specific helps you learn from each meal out and builds confidence for the next one. Even a restaurant meal that, on the surface, seemed like an epic failure, almost always has a positive takeaway that will make the next restaurant experience just a little bit better. 

👉 This kind of reflection is one of those little steps that makes the next dining-out experience so much easier, but if this sort of thing doesn’t come naturally to you, we can also debrief and break it down together.

And because coaching with me also includes “coach-in-your-pocket” support, you can even message me in the moment – if you need a pep talk, want a little menu brainstorming help, or just want to celebrate a win. 

OK, but what if there’s literally nothing on the menu that works?

I’m going to keep it really real here: I have never had that happen. 

Have I found myself with nothing but an order of fries and a side salad with vinegar? Yes. 

Was it the best meal I’ve ever had? No. 

But did I starve? Also no.

But, on the off chance to you do, one day, find yourself with literally no plant-based options, you’ve got two choices:

Option 1: Don’t eat.

I’m not personally a fan of this option, because I get hangry, and I would rather eat a dressing-less salad and some plain bread than just sit there and watch everyone else stuff their faces. 

But it’s definitely an option. 

Option 2: Just do the best you can. 

I know I say it all the time, but there’s no trophy for being perfectly plant-based. Part of making this way of eating work for you is deciding what your non-negotiables are, and then building in some flexibility for those situations where it’s flex… or starve.

For me personally, I won’t eat meat. That’s my non-negotiable, and I will wear that hanger like a badge of honor before I will eat a piece of chicken. 

But if I find myself in a situation where my stomach feels like it’s digesting itself and there are literally no vegan options, I will eat something that has egg or dairy in it.

When my dad was in the hospital for a month, I ate the free donut the nice woman at the front desk offered me. And I didn’t feel guilty about the piece of cheese pizza I ate when the thought of one more bean burger from the hospital cafeteria made me want to walk out the front door and never come back.

This kind of flexibility and grace is what makes it super easy for me to stay plant-based 99% of the time. 

So, here’s the D.A.M.N. truth.

Eating out when you’re plant-based can feel like an Olympic sport – but it doesn’t have to. The D.A.M.N. process isn’t about being perfect or memorizing some secret vegan script. It’s about building the confidence to walk into any restaurant, scan the menu, and know you’ll figure it out. 

That’s what got me from awkwardly asking...

“Could you possibly, maybe, if it’s not too much trouble, make me some brussels sprouts without the bacon?” 

to

"I’d like this salad, but instead of chicken, please add a whole bunch of black beans, and instead of the cheese, can you add some avocado? Oh, and since that ranch has dairy in it, I’d like the ginger soy dressing from the lettuce wraps, and instead of the croutons, can you add some chopped walnuts? Thanks so much!” 

...while the people I was with looked on in awe. 🤣

And if I can get there, I promise you can, too.

The part that changes everything

If restaurant menus have been one of your “But what about…” excuses for not going plant-based yet, this is exactly the kind of thing we tackle together in my 12-week Empowered By Plants coaching program.

We don’t just talk recipes and meal planning – we practice the real-life stuff that trips people up: restaurants, social situations, family dinners, travel… all of it. 

Because once you feel confident in those situations, everything else starts to feel easier too. 💚

So if worrying about being that person at the table has been holding you back, let’s change that. You don’t have to do it alone – and you might even surprise yourself with how simple it can feel once you have the right support.

👉 Apply now.