‘Elevate Tourists’ Experience—Make the Space Needle Vegan-Friendly,’ Says PETA

Pro-Vegan Ads and Plant-Based Menu Items Can Help Lighten the Load in the Landmark’s Elevator

For Immediate Release:
August 20, 2014

Contact:
Alexis Sadoti 202-483-7382

A PETA staffer who recently visited Seattle’s Space Needle spent the journey worrying that the elevator might plummet from the weight of his fellow passengers, which has prompted PETA to make an unusual request: Introduce vegan menu items at SkyCity Restaurant and display a new PETA ad—specifically designed for the attraction’s elevator—that proclaims, “Take Your Health to New Heights. Go Vegan!”

As PETA—whose motto reads, in part, “Animals are not ours to eat”—notes in a letter sent this morning to the landmark’s president, vegans are, on average, 18 percent thinner and less prone to developing obesity, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes than meat-eaters are. And with interest in vegan eating sky-high, offering vegan items at SkyCity Restaurant—which currently offers novegan entrées—is also a smart business move.

“Encouraging visitors to go vegan and offering them healthy plant-based meals can help lighten the load on the Space Needle’s elevator and on the passengers themselves,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA’s vegan menu suggestions would keep visitors coming back for more delicious meals while sparing the lives of chickens, cows, fish, and pigs as well as generating even more attention for one of Seattle’s most iconic attractions.”

For more information, please visit PETA’s blog.

PETA’s letter to Ron Sevart, president of Space Needle, LLC, follows.

August 20, 2014

Ron Sevart
President
Space Needle LLC

Dear Mr. Sevart:

I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 3 million members and supporters, including thousands across Washington and countless visitors to the Space Needle, to urge you to elevate Seattle tourists’ experience by introducing vegan menu items at SkyCity Restaurant and by placing our ad specifically designed for the Space Needle in the attraction’s elevator. The ad shows a bird’s-eye view of the Needle, topped with an out-of-this-world pasta dish, and reads, “Take Your Health to New Heights. Go Vegan!”

You may be asking yourself why we designed an ad just for you, so please allow me to explain: Already heart-racing, going up in the elevator to the Space Needle is becoming increasingly more unsettling as the number of obese patrons rises. A PETA staffer who visited the structure while on vacation earlier this summer reported fearing that the elevator would plummet because of the weight of his fellow riders. Encouraging visitors to go vegan and offering them healthy plant-based meals can help lighten the load. On average, vegans are 18 percent thinner than meat-eaters are, and according to—among other dietary experts—the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, vegetarians are far less prone to obesity as well as to heart disease, cancer, and diabetes than their meat-eating counterparts are.

Offering and advertising vegan options is also a good business move. Public interest in vegan eating is at a record high point, according to Google trends. Whether it’s for health, ethical, or environmental reasons, more than 30 million Americans now opt for primarily plant-based foods. When choosing entertainment options, tourists are also on the lookout for venues with meals that don’t pack on the pounds—and these days, similar attractions are filling this demand with tasty plant-based dishes.

Taking SkyCity Restaurant’s menu up a notch by adding delicious and healthy vegan entrées will keep visitors coming back for more while sparing the lives of many chickens, cows, fish, and pigs; reducing visitors’ carbon footprints; and generating positive attention for the Space Needle. I would be happy to offer suggestions for how you can take your menu above and beyond. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Alicia Woempner
Special Projects Manager