'To hell with vegans': chef bans people who don't eat meat from his restaurant

A celebrity chef has banned vegans from his restaurant after an altercation with a disgruntled customer sparked an online war between meat eaters and non-meat eaters, reports Dailymail.

Photo: IStock

British-born celebrity chef John Mountain posted a notice on Facebook saying: “Unfortunately, all vegans are now banned from visiting Fyre for mental health reasons. We thank you for your understanding."

Reason for the ban

Fyre is a restaurant run by Mountain in the northern Perth suburb of Connolly, Australia. His social media statement explained why people who don't eat meat are no longer welcome.

“A young girl approached me and said she was coming to the restaurant and asked if there were vegan options,” he said. “I said I’ll come up with something.” I said we have dumplings, vegetables... and that’s it.”

On the Saturday in question, Mountain said he forgot about the woman's request because he was busy catering to a private party.

That evening, his sous chef was unhappy, he got into a fight with Mountain because he "didn't tell them about the vegan customer."

On Sunday, the young woman filed a complaint.

On the subject: Scientists have found that plants can talk, and even recorded the 'speech' of a tomato

“My only option was a vegetable dish. It was normal. I was shocked at the price - it cost $32,” she wrote in her complaint via Facebook direct message.

“I think it's incredibly important these days that restaurants can accommodate everyone, and not having real plant-based food shows your shortcomings as a chef. I hope to see some improvements to your menu as I have lived in Connolly for quite some time and have seen many restaurants come and go in this area and none of them have lasted long,” she wrote. “If you don’t keep up with the times, I don’t believe your restaurant will be one that pushes current trends.”

The restaurant seemed to take the woman's complaint to heart.

“As for vegans/vegetarians, who are a very small minority, especially in the northern suburbs, I try to accommodate everyone else,” Mountain wrote back.

“Thanks for your negative review...please feel free to share your shitty experience and I look forward to not seeing you again,” he wrote.

“You and all your vegan friends can go and enjoy their meals elsewhere. You are now banned,” Mountain added.

“But if you great vegans want to band together and spit on my business, then good luck, keep up the good work, let's see what my customers think,” he wrote.

“And from now on, ALL vegans are banned from my restaurant. Thank you for your disgusting review,” he said.

“Fuck vegans, seriously... I've had enough. At the end of the day, this is not what I want to do, they can fuck off,” Mountain said.

Opinions are divided

These responses led to a flurry of mixed reviews on Google between those expressing their dissatisfaction with Mountain's stance and those who supported the restaurant. Mountain said the negative reviews "are really hurting the business."

One review included a lengthy lecture about why Mountain should serve vegan meals.

“In modern society, there is a growing demand for vegan dishes,” the review says. “Providing vegan options is not only vital to catering to individual food preferences, but also provides an opportunity for businesses to reach a wider market and increase their revenue.”

However, many reviews simply rate the restaurant as "one star" without giving any reason.

Like the article? Support ForumDaily!?

“We don't particularly care about vegans, although I unfortunately agreed to our client's request. But that night I had a huge outdoor catering event - I didn't live up to my vegan food promise. The vegan in question decided to get very personal about my 'inability' as a chef, so I responded a little rudely,” Mountain said.

“I try my best to change the menu daily according to people's demands. But they told me I would go broke because I didn’t cater to vegans, that was too much,” he said.

There were also supporters of his position who consistently gave the restaurant the highest rating, helping it maintain its average four-star rating.

“I am in love with food. I especially like the fact that there is no room for vegan options on the menu,” writes one person.

Others objected to the use of "fake testimonials" as a weapon.

“Trying to ruin a business with reviews is disgusting because you're not only hurting the owners, but the people who work there and are trying to make a living to provide for their family,” one user wrote. “These people work incredible hours and deal with the stupid requests and demands of people like you who refuse to read the menu before dinner.”

“If you know you're hard to serve, buy a bag of chickpeas, draw a face on it and maybe you'll make a friend,” he added.

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants, and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read all this on ForumDaily New York.

“I know a lot of vegans who understand that companies do market research before opening their restaurants in certain areas to cater to the needs of the majority. I will book a table with you soon,” another user wrote.

“Emotions seemed to be running high on both sides,” wrote another commenter. “Both sides had good reasons for doing this.”

Mountain lived in Australia for seven years after coming from the UK, where he was a celebrity chef.

He has starred in the cooking shows Great British Menu and Chef Race UK v US. He has also worked with culinary pioneers Heston Blumenthal at the original famed Fat Duck restaurant in Berkshire, England, as well as the cheeky three-Michelin star Marco Pierre White at Mayfair in London.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Jewish teacher quit due to bullying by 6th grader: he laughed at the Holocaust and sent him a drawing of Hitler

The State Duma of the Russian Federation proposed to forcibly take away the property of Russians who left the country

A Russian arrested in the US: he is involved in ransomware attacks on companies in the US and the world

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.