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I recently published some information on ‘buying humane’ in your grocery aisle (as an aside to my ongoing blog series on Dominion* by Matthew Scully).

Restaurant chains are also moving toward more humane practices. Although there is no  comprehensive database of cruelty-free restaurants, the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) hopes to have one soon.

In the meantime if you live in Mid-Michigan you may already know Ann Arbor’s Opes and Seva restaurants, which are vegetarian hot spots (I’ve never been to Opes, but Seva is above the Ann Arbor Comedy Club if you’re looking for a night out).

Otherwise, here are some other restaurant chains that made the news for taking positive (but often times small) steps toward being cruelty-free.

Chipotle and Panera consistently topped the pack, showing up in the most headlines for making the most improvements in how they acquire the meat behind their menu. Chipotle has bought 100% humanely raised pork since 2000, 100% humanely raised chicken since 2001 and 100% humanely raised beef since 2003.

Next, Wolfgang Puck has bought 100% crate-free pork and veal and 100% cage-free eggs, since 2007. They also don’t use foie gras, a food product made from the liver of a duck or goose. The Cheesecake Factory also buys 100% humanely raised chickens.

Red Robin has already moved to buying one-third of its eggs from cage-free sources and has made a public commitment to buy 100% cage-free by the end of 2010.

Carl’s Jr. and Hardees both buy 25% of their pork from crate free sources and have made a small move to buy 2% of eggs from cage-free sources. Similarly, Burger King purchases 10% of their pork from crate-free sources and 2% of eggs are produced cage-free.

Wendy’s and Ruby Tuesdays have also earned praise for small percentage moves toward more humaneness.

You can search for vegetarian restaurants at eatwellguide.org. Or, you can find information about vegetarian-friendly restaurants at natural-connection.com.

For the next blog in this series, please click here.

*Check “shop local” under the categories at sarahcunningham.org for purchase options.