A vegan cafe which charged a 'man tax' has closed after just two years.
Staff at Handsome Her cafe, in Melbourne, Australia, were charging men an 18 percent more than women but have now confirmed the eatery will close up on 28 April.
In a statement posted to the cafe's Facebook page, bosses said they had hoped to 'make a stir' via 'brazen public discussions of structural inequality and oppression', but were shocked when their plans 'blew up the internet'.
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The statement continued: "We've never shied away from controversy in the spirit of social justice and it seems fitting that we go out in the same style in which we came in: a whirlwind of sad, angry male tears."
However, hitting out at Handsome Her's naysayers, the cafe's owners said that criticism for introducing the 'man tax' was not the reason for its closure, adding that they were used to the 'fragility of the male ego'.
The statement went on: "Let us assure you that we are not closing because of: A) Male tears or misogynistic vitriol from men's rights activists.
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"We're lesbians, we're quite used witnessing the fragility of the male ego which literally cannot compute the idea of a woman who is not interested in them. These abusive comments have been mostly amusing, only reinforced our views about how toxic sexism is, and great motivation for us to keep up the good work.
"B) Not making enough money. If you've been in you know we are doing just fine.
"Our fans and regulars can smell a rat when it comes to fake google reviews from #sadmen. Most of our male customers have happily paid above and beyond the optional surcharge (man tax) which we donate to charity.
"Handsome Her was somewhat of a social experiment for us outside of our professional realms, and we have seen that it works to put our politics to the forefront in life and in business."
Rather than being forced out of business, the entrepreneurs said they were 'young, educated' and simply 'don't want to own a cafe anymore'.
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They added: "We remain ever yours, the leftist, extremist, man-hating, vegan dykes of your worst nightmare xx much love to you all."
Since the news was announced, the post has been liked more than 400 times, with many commenting to say how sad they were that it was closing for good.
One person wrote: "So sad to see u go. U were my favourite eatery since u opened.. U have created a safe space for all."
Another disappointed customer said: "Sad I never made it down sooner, but will be down this weekend."
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Staff at Handsome Her also confirmed that all proceeds from their final day of trading - 29 April - will go to the Maiti Nepal charity.
Featured Image Credit: Facebook/Handsome Her
Topics: Food, World News, Interesting, Facebook, Australia