Being a wheat-free vegan, I barely go out to eat. I frequent thai restaurants and local veggie cafes but that’s about it and we cook at home about 98% of the time. Jason’s Deli was pretty much last on my list of places to go to lunch but not only did I hear some good news about the chain recently but was also contacted directly after I posted about them on Twitter.

Katie pointed me to the video on their homepage talking about how they are eliminating trans fats, MSG and possibly all HFCS even in their sodas.

I posted a tweet about it and within the hour Jason’s Deli replied with a thank you and asked what I like to eat there. I replied I was WF vegan so I would head straight for the salad bar but I also asked if they sourced local produce for their restaurants. They said it would take a little while but they would get back to me and today I got an email from Madison Boozer, a Marketing Representative with this info:

From Kim Andreason, Produce Market Manager:
We have looked into it and are still considering it but is rather challenging considering the number of states we are in now. It is difficult to find an item that is consistent in all areas and lives up to our quality standards. Then again, some of the product is sourced locally without being advertised. Sprouts and mushrooms are both purchased from Texas Growers. Onions and watermelon are also purchased from Texas when they are available.

From Ed Wahlenmaier, GM of our Distribution Company:
Many of our produce items do come from local farms in Texas for Texas delis. These items vary due to availability and or quality. Some of the regional / local items include onions, mushrooms, and sprouts. Some of the other produce items such as the lettuces just do not grow well in Texas or in the south due to the heat. We try to balance our produce options and buy local as much as possible while maintaining a high level of quality.  As a company, we are always making changes to our products to either improve quality or to be more responsible for the environment.

First of all, I am so impressed to get such a quick response about this and that all this stemmed from a Twitter post. I love social media. And most importantly, I know that it must be a challenge for chain restaurants to source locally produced food but to know that Jason’s Deli is not only doing it in some ways but they are also prepared to answer my questions with a realistic response is very impressive. Thank you JD, for knowing this is an important issue.