Guest guest Posted November 5, 2004 Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 I took a look at the menu on the website and I see that there are still a lot of vegetarian entrees, much, much more than the usual restaurant. I think they are still an option for vegetarians, at least this one (me). Nita At 09:15 AM 11/5/2004, Starrose wrote: >Greetings Southbay Veggies. > >I am very disappointed to find out about the changes to Stoa's menu. I >have enjoyed their restaurant very much in the past. So, I decided to >write to them about my feelings, and you can, too at >info. I think it is important for them to know that we >are upset and that they will likely be losing loyal customers because of >the change. So, please take a moment to let them know how you feel... > >Stacy > >Tammy <t wrote: > > " It's sad to report that with Stoa's recent move to their new downtown >location they have added fish to the menu and dropped many favorite vegan >options. " > > >While I respect that the business owners can make decisions regarding >their business, to be a veggie or not, I think their description on their >website is unclear that they are no longer a vegetarian restaurant (which >can be significant to vegetarians!) > >On the homepage, it says they serve " creative vegetarian fare " . If you >select the " menu " page, it says " Stoa is a wonderful upscale vegetarian >dining experience " . If there is anything in the narrative that says they >now serve animals, then I missed it. > >The menu tells the story clearly enough -- mussels, clams, salmon, crab, >lobster, tuna, scallops, sole, etc. > >If they can update the menu, I don't understand why they didn't update the >rest of the website. :-( > >People who are vegetarian do not eat sea animals, and restaurants that are >vegetarian do not serve sea animals. >http://www.bayareaveg.org/articles/But_you_eat_Fish_don%27t_you.htm > >Tammy > >Bay Area Veg -- food, fun & fellowship -- http://www.BayAreaVeg.org > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 5, 2004 Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 Your response is amazing to me. Yes, it is true that they have vegetarian options, but they are no longer a vegetarian restaurant. This is huge. There are tons of restaurants for carnivores. We should have one or two vegetarian restaurants to go to. I compromise myself regulary by going to meaty restaurants where there may be one or two vegetarian choices if I am lucky, while I sit around watching others gnaw flesh, knowing that my veggie burger was grilled alongside the hamburgers, bacon, etc. Never do carnivores have to make these sacrifices to eat with us. It is important for us to stand up for ourselves. It is a form of discrimination, and if you do not speak up then you are colluding with them. I was thrilled to have a quality vegetarian establishment in the area, and it is a huge loss for all vegetarians. So, feel free to be complacent, but I will not be. I am tired of the discrimination, the compromises, the judgement of others. So, it is not just a loss for me, but for all vegetarians, because it speaks to the larger issue of bowing under the pressure of oppression. Juanita Frick <jfrick wrote: I took a look at the menu on the website and I see that there are still a lot of vegetarian entrees, much, much more than the usual restaurant. I think they are still an option for vegetarians, at least this one (me).NitaAt 09:15 AM 11/5/2004, Starrose wrote:>Greetings Southbay Veggies.>>I am very disappointed to find out about the changes to Stoa's menu. I >have enjoyed their restaurant very much in the past. So, I decided to >write to them about my feelings, and you can, too at >info. I think it is important for them to know that we >are upset and that they will likely be losing loyal customers because of >the change. So, please take a moment to let them know how you feel...>>Stacy>>Tammy wrote:>>" It's sad to report that with Stoa's recent move to their new downtown >location they have added fish to the menu and dropped many favorite vegan >options. ">>>While I respect that the business owners can make decisions regarding >their business, to be a veggie or not, I think their description on their >website is unclear that they are no longer a vegetarian restaurant (which >can be significant to vegetarians!)>>On the homepage, it says they serve "creative vegetarian fare". If you >select the "menu" page, it says "Stoa is a wonderful upscale vegetarian >dining experience". If there is anything in the narrative that says they >now serve animals, then I missed it.>>The menu tells the story clearly enough -- mussels, clams, salmon, crab, >lobster, tuna, scallops, sole, etc.>>If they can update the menu, I don't understand why they didn't update the >rest of the website. :-(>>People who are vegetarian do not eat sea animals, and restaurants that are >vegetarian do not serve sea animals.>http://www.bayareaveg.org/articles/But_you_eat_Fish_don%27t_you.htm>>Tammy>>Bay Area Veg -- food, fun & fellowship -- http://www.BayAreaVeg.org>>>> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 6, 2004 Report Share Posted November 6, 2004 It really is sad that Stoa was forced to make this change. Stoa was one of my favorite restaurants and I enjoyed being able to select anything on the menu without having to check whether it had meat or fish in it. However, it is not really fair to condemn Stoa management for caving in to carnivore pressure. They actually caved in to economic reality. Stoa was simply not able to survive due to the lack of customers. When going to Stoa, I was always struck by how many empty tables there were. And talking to the management, they explained that they indeed were in deep financial trouble. Originally, Stoa was a Kosher Vegetarian restaurant, and they went bankrupt because their clientele was so restricted. They reopened as a strictly vegetarian (but no longer Kosher) restaurant to get more customers. However, even though the food was excellent, it turned out that this was still not viable. Now, if we complain enough and boycott them for their perfidy, the restaurant will suffer even more and we may even lose the dishes they now serve. Manny Cherkas - Starrose Juanita Frick ; Tammy ; BAV mail list Cc: Southbay Friday, November 05, 2004 9:53 AM Re: RE: Stoa's no longer a vegetarian restaurant Your response is amazing to me. Yes, it is true that they have vegetarian options, but they are no longer a vegetarian restaurant. This is huge. There are tons of restaurants for carnivores. We should have one or two vegetarian restaurants to go to. I compromise myself regulary by going to meaty restaurants where there may be one or two vegetarian choices if I am lucky, while I sit around watching others gnaw flesh, knowing that my veggie burger was grilled alongside the hamburgers, bacon, etc. Never do carnivores have to make these sacrifices to eat with us. It is important for us to stand up for ourselves. It is a form of discrimination, and if you do not speak up then you are colluding with them. I was thrilled to have a quality vegetarian establishment in the area, and it is a huge loss for all vegetarians. So, feel free to be complacent, but I will not be. I am tired of the discrimination, the compromises, the judgement of others. So, it is not just a loss for me, but for all vegetarians, because it speaks to the larger issue of bowing under the pressure of oppression. Juanita Frick <jfrick wrote: I took a look at the menu on the website and I see that there are still a lot of vegetarian entrees, much, much more than the usual restaurant. I think they are still an option for vegetarians, at least this one (me).NitaAt 09:15 AM 11/5/2004, Starrose wrote:>Greetings Southbay Veggies.>>I am very disappointed to find out about the changes to Stoa's menu. I >have enjoyed their restaurant very much in the past. So, I decided to >write to them about my feelings, and you can, too at >info. I think it is important for them to know that we >are upset and that they will likely be losing loyal customers because of >the change. So, please take a moment to let them know how you feel...>>Stacy>>Tammy wrote:>>" It's sad to report that with Stoa's recent move to their new downtown >location they have added fish to the menu and dropped many favorite vegan >options. ">>>While I respect that the business owners can make decisions regarding >their business, to be a veggie or not, I think their description on their >website is unclear that they are no longer a vegetarian restaurant (which >can be significant to vegetarians!)>>On the homepage, it says they serve "creative vegetarian fare". If you >select the "menu" page, it says "Stoa is a wonderful upscale vegetarian >dining experience". If there is anything in the narrative that says they >now serve animals, then I missed it.>>The menu tells the story clearly enough -- mussels, clams, salmon, crab, >lobster, tuna, scallops, sole, etc.>>If they can update the menu, I don't understand why they didn't update the >rest of the website. :-(>>People who are vegetarian do not eat sea animals, and restaurants that are >vegetarian do not serve sea animals.>http://www.bayareaveg.org/articles/But_you_eat_Fish_don%27t_you.htm>>Tammy>>Bay Area Veg -- food, fun & fellowship -- http://www.BayAreaVeg.org>>>> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 8, 2004 Report Share Posted November 8, 2004 It may be that they were in financial trouble. However, I seriously doubt it had anything to do with the menu or lack of potential customers. The problem is poor marketing and an off the beaten path location. I have been vegetarian for a very long time and did not even know the restaurant exhisted until this year, when a friend took me there for my birthday. They recently moved to downtown Palo Alto...a good move to pull in customers, for sure. They now only needed to have done a great marketing campaign, and it would have been a done deal. There are plenty of vegetarians on the Peninsula who would have gone there had they known about it. Manny Cherkas <m_cherkas wrote: It really is sad that Stoa was forced to make this change. Stoa was one of my favorite restaurants and I enjoyed being able to select anything on the menu without having to check whether it had meat or fish in it. However, it is not really fair to condemn Stoa management for caving in to carnivore pressure. They actually caved in to economic reality. Stoa was simply not able to survive due to the lack of customers. When going to Stoa, I was always struck by how many empty tables there were. And talking to the management, they explained that they indeed were in deep financial trouble. Originally, Stoa was a Kosher Vegetarian restaurant, and they went bankrupt because their clientele was so restricted. They reopened as a strictly vegetarian (but no longer Kosher) restaurant to get more customers. However, even though the food was excellent, it turned out that this was still not viable. Now, if we complain enough and boycott them for their perfidy, the restaurant will suffer even more and we may even lose the dishes they now serve. Manny Cherkas - Starrose Juanita Frick ; Tammy ; BAV mail list Cc: Southbay Friday, November 05, 2004 9:53 AM Re: RE: Stoa's no longer a vegetarian restaurant Your response is amazing to me. Yes, it is true that they have vegetarian options, but they are no longer a vegetarian restaurant. This is huge. There are tons of restaurants for carnivores. We should have one or two vegetarian restaurants to go to. I compromise myself regulary by going to meaty restaurants where there may be one or two vegetarian choices if I am lucky, while I sit around watching others gnaw flesh, knowing that my veggie burger was grilled alongside the hamburgers, bacon, etc. Never do carnivores have to make these sacrifices to eat with us. It is important for us to stand up for ourselves. It is a form of discrimination, and if you do not speak up then you are colluding with them. I was thrilled to have a quality vegetarian establishment in the area, and it is a huge loss for all vegetarians. So, feel free to be complacent, but I will not be. I am tired of the discrimination, the compromises, the judgement of others. So, it is not just a loss for me, but for all vegetarians, because it speaks to the larger issue of bowing under the pressure of oppression. Juanita Frick <jfrick wrote: I took a look at the menu on the website and I see that there are still a lot of vegetarian entrees, much, much more than the usual restaurant. I think they are still an option for vegetarians, at least this one (me).NitaAt 09:15 AM 11/5/2004, Starrose wrote:>Greetings Southbay Veggies.>>I am very disappointed to find out about the changes to Stoa's menu. I >have enjoyed their restaurant very much in the past. So, I decided to >write to them about my feelings, and you can, too at >info. I think it is important for them to know that we >are upset and that they will likely be losing loyal customers because of >the change. So, please take a moment to let them know how you feel...>>Stacy>>Tammy wrote:>>" It's sad to report that with Stoa's recent move to their new downtown >location they have added fish to the menu and dropped many favorite vegan >options. ">>>While I respect that the business owners can make decisions regarding >their business, to be a veggie or not, I think their description on their >website is unclear that they are no longer a vegetarian restaurant (which >can be significant to vegetarians!)>>On the homepage, it says they serve "creative vegetarian fare". If you >select the "menu" page, it says "Stoa is a wonderful upscale vegetarian >dining experience". If there is anything in the narrative that says they >now serve animals, then I missed it.>>The menu tells the story clearly enough -- mussels, clams, salmon, crab, >lobster, tuna, scallops, sole, etc.>>If they can update the menu, I don't understand why they didn't update the >rest of the website. :-(>>People who are vegetarian do not eat sea animals, and restaurants that are >vegetarian do not serve sea animals.>http://www.bayareaveg.org/articles/But_you_eat_Fish_don%27t_you.htm>>Tammy>>Bay Area Veg -- food, fun & fellowship -- http://www.BayAreaVeg.org>>>> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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