How to Order Vegan at TGI Friday’s

The international chain of restaurants TGI Fridays flirts with veganism. In 2020, all TGI Fridays locations in the UK launched a limited-time Watermelon Steak entrée, complete with Avocado Sauce, Fridays Legendary Glaze, French Fries and Grilled Vegetables in honor of Veganuary. In 2018, it debuted a vegan Friday burger at every location in the US which then jumped out of the puddle and landed on UK menus. Sure, vegan customers still need to carefully dodge the bacon-laden baked potato skins, but when they sit at a red-and-white-striped stall and are surrounded by eclectic Friday-style decor, vegans can find a lot. to eat. . From burgers to sides, here’s how to eat vegan at TGI Fridays.

TGI Fridays

Appetizers

Starting with the basics, hot fries with fire roasted salsa are a solid start to any meal. Beyond this staple, there are a few other vegan-friendly options with a few polite modifications. The hot pretzel sticks are vegan if you forgo the cheese sauce, just ask for mustard. Friday’s favorite loaded potato skins are also vegan without the cheddar, bacon, ranch, or sour cream. Keep them loaded by requesting black beans, pickled jalapeños, green onions, avocado, and salsa. You can do the same with loaded fries – just skip the bacon, cheese, cheese, and BBQ ranch and swap for these taco-inspired toppings. Really, potatoes loaded in any form are hearty enough to make a meal. For a little more green, ask for celery sticks as a side.

Salads

To the collective chagrin of vegans, it is customary in many chain restaurants to load up a perfectly respectable salad with meat and cheese. Such is the case on Fridays, however, there are ways around it. For the slightest modification, opt for the house salad without cheese, croutons, or breadsticks. You’re left with a bowl of mixed greens, diced tomatoes, sliced ​​carrots, cabbage, and cucumbers.

The Million Dollar Cobb requires a heavier mod set, but it can be done. To veganize this starter salad, don’t order chicken, egg, bacon, cheese, or ranch. This will leave you with mixed greens, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and avocado. Pump up the volume by adding a Beyond Meat burger or go fruity and order a side of the mango pico sauce. Vegan dressings include balsamic vinaigrette and citrus sesame. Honestly, that mango spike would make a stellar flavor enhancer too.

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Power grid

The original Fridays Vegan Burger has become a vegetarian takeaway since its introduction in 2018. Now called The Beyond Meat Cheeseburger, this item comes with dairy-based cheese and Fridays sauce. To go back to the original vegan option, just skip these two ingredients. Note: Standard challah-style bread is vegan, but gluten-free bread is not. The sandwich comes with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and pickles, but to add more substance, order sliced ​​avocado. You don’t like something between two buns? Customize a pasta dish. Order fettuccine pasta with marinara sauce and steamed broccoli, hold the breadstick (contains egg and dairy). This meal is basic but filling.

TGI Fridays

Sides

Various sides on Fridays can be served vegan with slight modifications. For something fresh and green to go with that juicy Beyond burger, order the Lemon Butter Broccoli without the Parmesan Butter. You will receive a bowl of steamed broccoli with a lemon wedge. When it comes to French fries, the chain is cautious, stating that seasoned fries and sweet potatoes are not vegan due to possible cross contamination; however, if you’re not concerned about shared frying oils, order the potatoes. Jasmine rice with diced onion, garlic, and red bell peppers is also free of animal ingredients.

Dessert

Look elsewhere for dessert: Fridays haven’t entered the plant-based candy space yet. Perhaps one day, Brownie Obsession will see a vegan iteration.

For more vegan restaurant finds, read:
The VegNews Vegan Guide to Cheesecake Factory
VegNews Chili’s Vegan Guide
How to eat vegan at Olive Garden

Tanya Flink is a digital editor at VegNews, as well as a writer and broker based in Orange County, CA.