Image was found on Google, when you click on it, it brings you to Goodies First blog post (go check it out, it's not a vegan post so it should be informative to omnivores) but the picture isn't on that blog, so I don't know... |
Let me start by saying, there is no way to contact Jose Tejas via email, messenger, or even Twitter. They have no contact information listed other the number for each store, if they do, I couldn't find it. There is no corporate information listed anywhere. They apparently are owned by Border Cafe, who also has no contact information listed anywhere. It's the most bizarre thing...
So, I could not contact anyone at their corporate location to confirm anything and I didn't personally call my local Jose Tejas in Woodbridge, NJ because someone from my Vegans of Central Jersey group on Facebook already spoke to the manager at the Iselin, NJ location for 45 minutes. Yes, 45 minutes.
New flash, if you think they're accommodating to vegans, then you have been sorely misinformed!
Here's the 411 posted with permission from the person who wrote the post:
The beans, rice and all the veggies they serve contain margarine with dairy. (Yes, you can buy margarine without dairy, but they don't. The one they use contains dairy.)
Their flour tortillas contain eggs. (I know, bizarre, but true as per the manager.)
The corn tortillas are grilled on the same grills used to cook meat and cheese.
The corn chips are sometimes cooked in the same fryers they use to fry animal products.
The ONLY vegan options are salad, steamed veggies, salsa, and guacamole.
What makes this whole situation disturbing is that their staff has clearly not been trained on what is in the food they are serving and have been misinforming people for years. At the very least, they should be trained on known allergens...like dairy and eggs... Not knowing at least that basic information is irresponsible and possibly dangerous.
And before anyone who half-reads this points out they have a "vegetarian menu" not a "vegan menu" I understand that. But if you ask specific questions to your server, they should absolutely be able to give you accurate information or get you the information you need. Why all restaurants don't provide a menu notating common allergens is beyond me.
Now you know, just in time for Cinco de Mayo, stay far away from Jose Tejas if you're vegan...or if you have a dairy allergy. If you're in Jersey, there are a million restaurants serving authentic Mexican food....go there! Or try out the handful of restaurants that offer vegan options like Johnny Tequila's which I haven't been to yet, but plan on going to check it out very soon!