Guide to Contacting Restaurants

Thank you for taking part in our national effort to stop the cruelty of foie gras production. Hundreds of concerned citizens across the country are working to educate consumers and businesses to “Say No to Foie Gras.”

Part of this effort is obtaining pledges from restaurants to not sell foie gras. We have flyers, pledge forms, a sample letter to send restaurants, and No Foie Gras business cards to leave in restaurants that sell foie gras, which are available to citizens interested in working on this effort.

When contacting restaurants, please keep these tips in mind:

To start, it may help to get a few businesses who don't currently sell foie gras to sign the pledge. Not only is getting a pledge that a business will never sell foie gras beneficial in itself, but these pledges will encourage other restaurants to sign.

When you approach a business, call or stop by and ask to speak to the owner or chef. Always be polite and courteous. Explain how foie gras is produced, and encourage them to sign the pledge. Offer to mail, fax or leave information and a pledge for their review. Address the letter directly to the individual with whom you spoke, and refer to your conversation in the letter.

If the owner or chef is completely unwilling to hear you out, sign anything, learn anything, etc., you may want to keep the establishment in mind for a future leafleting event.

When a restaurant signs a pledge, be sure to write them a nice thank-you letter. Let them know that they did a good thing and that consumers respect ethical businesses.

Keep a list of businesses that do and don't sign the pledge. Consumers will want to patronize those establishments who have taken a stand against animal cruelty, while boycotting those that continue to support the inhumane treatment of animals. You can make this list available to the public, along with flyers and other educational literature.

Click here for a Question & Answer document about the importance of fighting the foie gras industry

If you have any questions or need any additional information or materials, please call us at 607-583-2225 ext. 229, or e-mail campaign@farmsanctuary.org.