Activist slams celebrity chef who banned vegans from top restaurant
Published
| Last updated
An activist has slammed the chef who banned vegans from his Australian restaurant after one disgruntled patron’s complaints turned personal.
Celebrity chef John Mountain has revealed will no longer accommodate plant-based eaters on the grounds of 'mental health'.
Mountain is the culinary wizard behind the owner of Fyre, a restaurant in the West Australian city of Perth, known for specialising eye fillet steaks and delectable seafood.
The chef shared a post on the restaurant's Facebook page on June 20, writing: "Sadly all vegans are now banned from Fyre (for mental health reasons). We thank you for your understanding.”
Mountain revealed to 7News that the decision comes after dealing with a vegan patron who left a savage review of his restaurant.
He told the outlet that the vegan customer had messaged him before they arrived at the restaurant and assured them he could accommodate them with vegetables and gnocchi.
However, on the day the customer was due to arrive, the top chef was occupied with a private function he'd forgotten to cater for.
As a result, he was unable to provide the vegan meal promised.
The next day, the vegan patron left a scathing review, complaining that they received an unsatisfactory vegetarian meal for AUD$32 (£17).
"F**k vegans - I’m done with them," he told 7News.
"I once wrote and sold a book called Pig which had pork recipes. People know what they’re getting from me.
"I understand where vegans are coming from but my job is to make food taste as good as I can and I can’t always cater to everybody’s dietary requirements."
Now, his restaurant has been bombarded with bad reviews, with Fyre’s Google rating plummeting from 4.2 stars to 2.8 stars overnight.
Well-known vegan activist Tash Peterson slammed the restaurant, calling it discriminatory.
She told 7News: “One incident where this chef is clearly upset by a valid complaint, and then to discriminate an entire group of people ... it is a blatant form of discrimination.”
“Veganism (is) on the rise (and) places should be catering towards everyone,” she continued.
But despite the backlash, the chef revealed that business is booming and he's received overwhelming support from the public, as per Perth Now.
“The bookings have gone ridiculous; they have gone through the roof,” he said.
“The support from people is overwhelming, I’ve had one of the best chefs in the country walk in my back door earlier this afternoon, give me a hug and tell me he loves me.”
“I guarantee you, 99 per cent of chefs across the world f**king hate vegans.”
“Sadly for the vegans, this has been the best marketing that’s ever happened to me, thank you so much I love the vegans,” he added.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/Tasha Peterson. Facebook/Fyre
Topics: Australia, News, Vegan, Vegetarian, Food And Drink
