An Open Letter to McDonald's Canada

A few months ago I made the shocking discovery that McDonald’s Canada does not sell vegetarian burgers. It was back in February when I went to a McDonald's and tried to order the Veggie Deluxe meal and was told that no such meal existed. I was outraged. I told everyone I knew – which is literally not an exaggeration, even my friends back in England heard about the “ordeal” – and I realised that this was something that I actually was actively annoyed by. So I wrote them a letter.

I realise that one letter (written by British student – not even a Canadian) is not going to change anything. One whiney message is not going to inspire McDonald’s Canada to put a vegetarian burger on their menu. But I wrote to them all the same, because I was just so interested to know what their response would be. How would they respond to such passionate criticism?

So I wrote them a letter in the beginning of March. But the sad truth is, McDonald’s never replied.  It was only about 6 weeks ago that I sent the letter, but as I am now moving out of my house in Vancouver and will begin to travel soon, even if they do respond I won’t receive it. And so I am taking to the internet instead. Maybe no one in the Head Office of McDonald's Canada will ever read my letter, but if I post it on my blog, someone will. And so in all of its vegetarian/vegan-warrior-glory, here is my ‘Open Letter to McDonald’s Canada’.

Dear McDonald’s Canada,

The other week after my friends and I had enjoyed some drinks in Vancouver, we decided that we wanted to pop into our local McDonald’s near Commercial and Broadway to have a drunken meal before heading home. We had assumed that this would not be a problem. However, in my case, it was.

I walked confidently up to the counter and order a Veggie Deluxe meal, only to be met with a blank stare. I rephrased my wording in the hope that the server had simply misunderstood me, and instead asked for a veggie burger. Again, I was met with a blank look, before being told that McDonald’s does not sell veggie burgers. Now it was my turn to look blank. What did she mean that McDonald’s does not serve veggie burgers???

As a Brit, all of my local McDonald’s offer the vegetarian burger. In fact, every McDonald’s I have ever been to in the entirety of Europe offers the vegetarian burger. It had never even occurred to me that a McDonald's would not offer a veggie burger. To find that Canada did not follow the same agenda as the other countless McDonald’s stores I have been to was a shock to my system. In my drunken state I announced to my friends that I was going to write to McDonald’s Canada complaining. I was joking, yet here I am, several weeks later and 100% sober, writing that very letter.

Because the more I think about it, the more outraged I feel. Why would a huge international chain with 1,400 stores across Canada not offer a vegetarian meal? On your website you specify that your famous French Fries are vegetarian, as well as your salads – but only if you order them without chicken. I think that anyone, literally anyone, can recognise that a salad and fries is not the equivalent to a Meal. There is not even any protein in this option. How can it be classified as an equivalent and equal product?  Plus, the one amazing bonus of the McDonald’s veggie burger is that if your remove the mayonnaise, the burger is actually vegan. This makes it a highly inclusive option and reflects very positively on the McDonald’s brand. By providing a vegan option, you show respect for an individual’s environmental and ethical choices. However, by failing to provide this option, McDonald’s Canada chooses to show a distinct lack of respect.

In choosing not to provide a Vegetarian Meal option, McDonald’s Canada is cutting off the 8% of the population that does not eat meat and the 33% of the population that is reducing their meat intake. This is one third of Canadians! 12 million people. Plus, the vegetarian meal isn’t just for vegan warriors. There are people that do not eat meat for religious reasons. And what about people that just generally want to choose a healthier option? You are literally cutting off an entire section of the market. Other fast food chains within Canada, such as A&W Burgers, provide vegetarian options. Surely McDonald’s is failing to match their competitors by excluding a vegetarian meal?

In a changing world, in which the vegetarian population of Britain, the US and Canada grows by over 100% each year, providing vegetarian options should no longer be seen as “accommodating”, but should be compulsory. You have to cater to a changing demographic. In refusing to provide a vegetarian meal, McDonald’s Canada is failing to do this.

From a very frustrated - and very hungry - British vegetarian.