VEG-N — Restaurant in Meridian Charter Township

VEG-N is a good idea with some major issues in execution.

Firstly, the location is pretty bad. The parking lot and drive-thru are disconnected and unintuitive, and the drive-thru doesn't have an awning over it, so if it's raining then you have to insert your card into the machine, receive the receipt, and hand the receipt back all while your window is down and you and your car are getting soaked.

The second thing to comment on is the food. Overall, the food is pretty high quality, well-seasoned, and there are more options than I suspected of a very small place like this. The price tags are a bit high, with sandwiches ranging from $10-12 coming with no sides or drink. At these prices it definitely doesn't sell most non-vegetarians/-vegans on the idea that they can live on as tight of a budget as their omnivore neighbors. I removed one star for the cost barrier and amount of food received for the cost.

The last thing I want to comment on is the treatment of staff. It came to light recently that tips for the staff were being withheld from them and placed directly into the cash register. Not only is this illegal, it's also massively disrespectful and not the sort of good business practice you would expect from a small restaurant still trying to make it. I removed two more stars because I heard that when these concerns were brought up some workers were let go because of it. Veganism is a lifestyle of respect and sustainability. If it doesn't extend beyond animals to people and businesses as well, then those values...

My daughter and I found this place after a weekend surrounded by "traditional" coney island restaurants in Detroit. She couldn't eat anything there because she is vegan. VEG-N was just right for both of us. The choices are expansive and great for vegans who want a taste of classic American diner food, like burgers and dogs. (They also have several salad options). I ordered a reuben, which tasted great, but was not made with vegan reuben meat. I chose the Beyond sausage as the "meat". It was tasty, although I would have liked to have a vegan thousand island dressing to accompany it. We also had another item which is not officially on the menu, but they were trying it out this weekend. Think of something that you would usually order alongside a Coney dog... I can just say that this secret menu item was great, and should be on the menu permanently. They also have an option of dairy cheese for any of their vegan items, just ask for it when placing your order.

They are carry-out only right now, although we just ordered when we arrived and ate outside at picnic tables they provided. We also enjoyed cookies--vegan chocolate chip and vegan coconut brown sugar. Both were perfect, crispy on the edges and slightly soft in the middle.

I would definitely recommend trying VEG-N, especially if you have a mixed group of vegans and traditional meat eaters who are trying to find a restaurant that is...

HI!!

A local business Person here!!! I am an Avid foody and Never really gave Vegan food a try. As someone who is Jamaican, Vegan food is some parts really important to the religious parts of Jamaican Culture. So I read the Comments and looked to see if this Establishment was a tasty one for me.

It seems the Locals Really really love having a Vegan place so close and with such great employees.

I also see they seem to have a group of Local Internet trolls who seem to have some form of a personal Vendetta against a new mom and pop shop.

To clarify for non business people who may read this... I reached out to Veg-n and they were really Nice and honest (from what I could tell)... Tips were given to employees and pay was competitive to the market.

Businesses are required to give tips to their employees but only when getting paid. Not all tip restaurants give tips on checkout of shift. Also Locals need to understand that as a new business and not a chain they don't have fluid cash flow like a new McDonalds that opens down the road.

Now Of course I don't know everything about them BUT what I do know is that you will get amazing food for the price and you will have a safe and quick food experience that will make you want to...