Spreading thanks for vegan items in restaurants

For a while now, I have been undertaking a small but (in my opinion) important activism to help farm animals. A few years ago, I was thinking about something I could do that would help the cause other than direct protest.
How could I encourage others to try veganism and show my appreciation to restaurant owners who have expanded their menu to include some vegan offerings or have shown willingness to make something vegan?


The plan went something like this:  I printed up some business size cards that I could hand out to a restaurant that ventured into taking the plant eaters as legit customers. My card looked like this:

A few years later, a friend of mine took a job with PETA and when I told her about my campaign, she gave me some cards that PETA had made up to do the very thing I was doing. At first, I was a little disappointed that my cool novel idea was not new at all, but I got over it. Now I just hand out both cards to the restaurant.

Once I started handing these out, the responses I got were so positive. From the waitress to the chef or manager, they were thrilled to get this. In one case, the chef came out to our table to thank us and chat a little about what we thought of each of his vegan items. And he brought us a full plate of some new ones he was going to offer.

At another restaurant on Hilton Head Island, there was a place that served sea food in one kitchen and all vegan in the other. We were pretty surprised to find such a place there. The waiter told us about all the different menu dishes that the vegan chef invented. In addition to the food we ordered, he also brought us out a few extra.

So, in closing, I encourage all of you to try this
out. It doesn't take a lot of time to create the cards or find a place either in a purse or pocket to carry them around. The more of us who are out there thanking businesses for offering vegan items, the more likely they will continue or add more.

Businesses need to make money to stay in business, so I think it is a worthwhile effort. AND you might even get some free cool food.