Vegans? If you happen to be planning to go to the Fyrre restaurant in Connolly – a suburb of the Australian city of Perth in the southwest of the country – you won't be able to enter it. The reason: the chef simply forbade it.
British chef John Mountain's ban caused a huge stir online among vegans, meat eaters – and, of course, among the restaurant's own managers. Mountain, who has lived in Australia for the past seven years, is a well-known chef who has participated in several cooking shows in the UK and has also worked alongside some big names in the restaurant world. The most famous of these is Marco Pierre White, recognized as the youngest chef to be awarded three stars in the Michelin Guide.
It all began when a vegan diner informed Mountain in advance that she was coming to the restaurant and asked what vegan dishes the place had to offer her. The chef replied that they only had gnocchi and vegetables, and said he would compensate her. However, it later turned out that he forgot to inform his sous chef that a vegan diner was coming because he was busy catering at a private event. The sous chef, of course, made sure to express to Mountain his anger at the detail he had missed.
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After the diner's disappointment with her visit, she posted harsh criticism of the restaurant and its conduct on Facebook the next day. Among other things, she claimed that she paid 32 Australian dollars (about 78 shekels) for a portion of vegetables, which she defined as very expensive compared to her size and noted that she was not satisfied with it. "I think it's important that these days restaurants can have everyone. If you don't have vegan dishes, it shows your shortcomings as a chef," the diner wrote, adding: "I really hope there will be an improvement in your menu because I've lived in the area for a long time and I've seen a lot of restaurants open and close in the restaurant building. In my opinion, if you are not flexible, your restaurant will also close."
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In response to the criticism, Mountain announced on Facebook that he was banning vegans from his restaurant: "Unfortunately, all vegans are no longer welcome in my restaurant for mental health reasons. I thank you for your understanding."
Later, the chef expanded on his angry response to the diner's criticism: "There are very few vegetarians and vegans in this area, and I try to accommodate them all. Anyway, thank you for your negative review. Please, do not hesitate to post this review and I hope not to see you again with us. Beyond that, your criticism is very childish. From now on, you and your vegan friends can enjoy your dishes elsewhere."
Following Mountain's backlash, many vegetarians and vegans began attacking the restaurant by giving it a one-star rating online. Many of them also argued that nowadays every restaurant should make sure to prepare vegan dishes as well, especially in light of the increase in the number of vegans around the world. On the other hand, meat lovers began to rate the restaurant five stars in order to strengthen the chef.
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In response to the uproar, Mountain told Australian website PerthNow that the negative reviews the restaurant received were "very hurtful to the business". He explained: "Unfortunately, we don't have so many vegan dishes and yet I agreed to cater to this diner. Except that evening I had to go out for a catering order, and it probably hurt the dish she was served. Despite this, the diner showed no understanding, but decided to write me a personal and rude response, even though I go out of my way to serve all people. When I was threatened to shut down because I don't serve vegans, I decided I wouldn't serve them anymore. It's rude, and that's just part of what I feel."
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