The great lack of vegan and vegetarian meals a Rollins

Dave’s Boathouse is a great place to hang out with friends, have casual study sessions, and snack until late into the night. For me and other vegetarians surviving on a meal plan, though, the menu is limited.

Currently, there are seven entrées on the regular Dave’s menu marked as vegetarian: Mushrooms and Artichoke Arancini, Kale and Artichoke Dip, the Garden Burger, Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Pepper, Fried Cheese Tequenos, and the Fresh Garden Kale Salad. Only two of those options are considered “large plates,” and most others could not constitute a meal on their own.

Dave’s does not offer any vegan meals.

While the Marketplace upstairs doesn’t always have the greatest choices for vegetarians either, the food is thankfully not always as fried or cheese-dependent as Dave’s. Unfortunately, when it’s 9:31 p.m., and the C-Store has closed, the only on-campus restaurant open is the Boathouse. Dave’s food is not the healthiest—nor is it intended to be, given the pub theme of the restaurant—but there should be more than the meager few options currently offered for herbivores.

Later, once orders are restricted to the late night menu, options are further reduced, and most available dishes consist primarily of cheese. For vegetarians with lactose sensitivities, that eliminates the majority of possibilities.

As vegetarian student Katie Lefkowitz ’16 pointed out, “Cheese is not a vegetable.”

Certain menu items like the salads can be made vegetarian, but orders often get confused and the meals are usually served with meat regardless. Sometimes I don’t notice the chicken (or, in the case of a friend, the salmon) in a quesadilla until I’ve already bitten into it.

Dave’s may not have the greatest meatless options, but there are many off-campus restaurants that specialize in either vegetarian or vegan food. Ethos, for example, is within walking distance from campus and has an entirely vegan/vegetarian menu. Dandelion is another great choice; they have excellent tempeh and are located only about fifteen minutes from Rollins. For late-night study sessions, though, Dave’s is the current hot spot for carnivores and herbivores alike, if only out of convenience.