A famous chef has caused a stir online for deciding to ban vegans from his restaurant after a customer complained about their meat-free meal.
UK-born chef John Mountain – who has appeared on TV cooking shows like Great British Menu and Chef Race UK v US – has decided to take on the entire vegan community after receiving a relatively mild-mannered complaint.
Taking to Facebook, the celebrity chef said that he had made the decision ‘for mental health reasons’, writing: “Sadly all vegans are now banned from Fyre for mental health reasons. We thank you for your understanding.”
He explained: “A young girl reached out to me and said she was coming to the restaurant and asked if there were vegan options.
“It was my only shortfall. I said I would accommodate her, I said we had gnocchi, vegetables… and that was that.”
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However, after offering to accommodate her it transpires he swiftly forgot about the customer’s needs – blaming his forgetfulness on being distracted by catering for a private party.
He explained how this, in turn, led to his sous chef fuming at him for “not telling them about the vegan customer.”
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Ultimately, because of this, the vegan customer was given just one option – a “vegetable dish” costing $32 which she later described in an online review as “okay but not that filling.”
Her feedback continued: “I think it’s incredibly important nowadays that restaurants can accommodate everyone and to not be able to have actual plant-based meals shows your shortcomings as a chef.
“I hope to see some improvements in your menu as I have lived in Connolly for quite some time and have seen many restaurants come and go from that building and none of them last.
“If you don’t get with the times, I don’t hold out faith that your restaurant will be the one that does.”
In response, Mr Mountain went in all guns blazing – having taken some offense at her polite feedback.
‘As for vegans/vegetarians being a very low minority, especially in the northern burbs’ I try to accommodate everyone else,’ he posted on the restaurant’s page.
‘Thanks for your negative review… please feel free to share your s**tty experience and I look forward to not seeing you again.
‘You and all your vegan mates can all go and enjoy your dishes in another venue. You are now banned.’
He then reiterated the ban with a further post on Google Review, which read: “But if you beautiful vegans want to join together and slag off my business then good luck, keep going, let’s see what my customers think.
“And from now on ALL Vegans are now banned from my restaurant. Thankyou for your disgusting review and please enjoy the Currambine. Xx”
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Johnnie Mountain runs the Fyre restaurant in Perth, Connolly.
Featured image – Johnnie Mountain/ Fyre Restaurant
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The Peaky Blinders bar in Manchester has closed down
Daisy Jackson
The Peaky Blinders-themed bar in Manchester city centre has shut for good.
The Peter Street nightlife favourite announced this afternoon that the venue has closed, with immediate effect.
Peaky Blinders opened back in 2018 in the former Sakana site, with plenty of nods to the popular Netflix series – including oil paintings of the main characters on the wall.
Over the years, its offering has expanded to include bottomless brunches and Sunday roasts, plus drinks all the way into the early hours.
But the Peaky Blinders bar has announced with ‘an extremely heavy heart’ that its days on Peter Street are over.
Peaky Blinders said in a statement: “It is with an extremely heavy heart that we unfortunately have to announce the closure of Peaky Blinders Manchester with immediate effect.
“On behalf of our entire team, we are truly thankful to every guest who has stepped through our doors since opening in 2018.
“We are devastated it has had to end this way, but grateful for the journey.
Brewdog’s beer hotel in Manchester has closed with immediate effect
Daisy Jackson
The ‘beer hotel’ operated by Brewdog in Manchester has closed with immediate effect, as part of the Scottish brewery’s £33m sale.
A whopping 38 Brewdog bars around the UK have closed, resulting in hundreds of job losses.
As well as the beer hotel known as DogHouse in Manchester, which was home to a large bar and rooftop terrace, the Oxford Road brewpub known as the OutPost has also closed.
The DogHouse Hotel on Fountain Street had a range of boutique bedrooms, fitted with features like beer fridges in the shower, beer taps in the room, guitars, record players, and pet beds.
Just 11 pubs have been retained in the rescue deal, including the Brewdog bar on Peter Street in Manchester city centre.
The brewery has been bought by US beverage and medical cannabis company Tilray for £33m, a sale which includes its UK brewery operations, brand, and a handful of pubs.
Yesterday, Brewdog announced all of its bars would be closed for the day to enable staff to attend staff meetings.
Administrators confirmed yesterday that 484 jobs had been lost in the sale, with 38 bars closing.
Unite, the union which represents thousands of hospitality workers, said it is ‘appalled’ at how Brewdog staff have been treated during the sale.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is a devastating day for Brewdog workers. Nearly 500 lost livelihoods while yet another corporate deal is stitched together behind closed doors.
“Brewdog workers built this brand. They deserved respect. Instead, they were treated as disposable pawns. Unite will not rest until our members have legal and financial justice.”
Unite national lead for hospitality Bryan Simpson said: “The way in which senior management have conducted themselves throughout this sales process has been nothing short of a national disgrace – with workers being given no information about the company’s plans or their futures.
“For the CEO to tell workers that they were redundant with immediate effect, on a conference call with only 25 minutes notice, has echoes of P&O and is deplorable. Unite will be ensuring that our members receive everything they are legally entitled to.”
Brewdog was founded in 2007 by friends James Watt and Martin Dickie.
Georgina Pellant -
20th June 2023 
