Dena Blumenthal
Ordering takeout on a food app can be convenient, but with some restaurants that convenience can come with a cost to animal welfare. Until all restaurants uphold policies to protect animals in their supply chains, here are a few food services to avoid.
Food service apps can make mealtime convenient, but the story behind the food source isn’t always appealing. Some app-partnered restaurants are notorious animal rights offenders, and the click of convenient dining may not be worth the cost.
The evolution of delivery apps like DoorDash, GrubHub, Postmates, and Uber Eats has put hundreds of dining choices just a quick click away. But some of the restaurants featured on delivery apps are not aligned with animal rights—or worse, are continually contributing to some of the most severe abuse of animals raised for food. When it comes to making an informed choice about what we consume, it pays to know which restaurants are sourcing their products from abused animals in our broken food system.
From factory farm to delivery app
In creating a more compassionate world for the animals, our choices can make a difference. While not every restaurant featured on delivery apps is problematic, some are—and it’s worth knowing which ones warrant a second look. Before you reach for your device to order a meal on the go, think twice about who's fulfilling your order and take a careful look at the restaurants that partner with popular apps like DoorDash, GrubHub, Postmates, or Uber Eats.
Each app showcases thousands of restaurants, so how can consumers know which ones to avoid? To help provide the transparency some restaurants are avoiding, we’ve rounded up a list of food industry giants that are not upholding animal welfare policies throughout their substantial supply chains.
Which restaurants should I avoid?
In general, it’s best to avoid restaurants that are not being transparent about their animal rights commitments, including agreeing to source only cage-free eggs in their supply chains. On delivery apps, this list includes:
Both Cracker Barrel and Dunkin’ made public pledges that the companies would transition to using only cage-free eggs in its supply chains. Unfortunately, they are not following through on those commitments and they need to accelerate their progress. Sonic is not publicly reporting its cage-free progress.
Are there any app-specific brands to avoid?
Yes. Most app-specific brands are linked to their parent companies, but appear under slightly different naming conventions. For example, Cracker Barrel has a number of app-only brands that still function under the same weak animal welfare policies as the overarching Cracker Barrel conglomerate. Those include:
Why are animal welfare policies important?
Animals raised on factory farms endure significant abuse from their first moments to their last. Hens—who are used to provide eggs for restaurant supply chains—endure some of the worst treatment. Chickens live in dirty, crowded battery cages with four to ten other birds. With only as much space as a filing cabinet drawer, these cages are so restrictive that hens can’t even spread their wings, and they often sustain brutal injuries from their own cage.
Restaurants without strong animal welfare policies are not only contributing to ongoing animal abuse, they’re also behind the times. Cage-free eggs are becoming an industry standard—and for good reason. Forcing egg-laying hens to spend their days in cramped, filthy battery cages is cruel. With cages so small that hens can’t spread their wings, chickens can suffer broken bones, feather loss, and other injuries when their bodies get caught in their caging.
Eliminating cage systems in restaurant supply chains is just the first shift in ending the abuse of animals raised for food. But in terms of improving the outlook for hens raised on factory farms, it’s an important shift in the right direction. So unless a restaurant or food conglomerate is fulfilling its commitment to upholding strong animal welfare policies throughout its supply chain, it’s best to steer clear. Through our choices, we can help companies understand that animals deserve better and a cage-free future cannot wait.
How can I help?
Choice by choice, we can help send a strong message to restaurants on delivery apps that animal welfare matters. Until companies like Cracker Barrel, Dunkin’, and Sonic commit to transparently upholding animal welfare policies and ending the use of cages in their supply chains, we cannot support their business.
Together, we’re working to end the abuse of animals raised for food. Take action with us by joining thousands of activists around the world to prompt corporations that profit from animal abuse to change their policies.
