The owner of a struggling vegan restaurant was bombarded with online abuse and fake reviews after he introduced meat to the menu in a bid to boost sales.
Adonis Norouznia, owner of Nomas Gastrobar in Macclesfield, Cheshire, added meat options in January to help attract more customers, but received furious backlash online.
The cafe opened in 2021 as a plant-based restaurant, but high inflation and a 40 percent drop in sales forced the business to add meat, eggs and dairy to the menu.
But this choice did not go down well with several vegans online, who posted comments telling Mr. Norouznia and his wife to “die.”
Talking to the BBC NewsHe said: “They told us, ‘what else are they going to do to make money? They are going to sacrifice animals there, they are going to sell animal organs,'” they even talked. about human trafficking.
Vegan cafe owner Adonis Norouznia, owner of Nomas Gastrobar in Macclesfield, who put meat on the menu after struggling with costs, revealed he has received online abuse and fake reviews.
“I have nothing to say to you, I’m really sorry that our choices made you unhappy, but that’s the way the world is, a small independent cafe isn’t going to change it.”
Norouznia added that she often worried that people would vandalize the cafe.
He urged trolls and his critics to “put yourself in his shoes” before judging his decision and try to better consider the struggles of a small business today.
Announcing the change on social media, the cafe said: “We have made the difficult but necessary decision to introduce a carefully curated selection of high-quality, responsibly sourced meat and dairy options to our menu.”
Mr. Norouznia has only been vegan for six years and knows how to cook meat.
It comes after Pret a Manger revealed they have closed their last three vegetarian-only stores and converted them into regular outlets due to a drop in demand for meat-free sandwiches.
The remaining Veggie Pret stores, two in London and one in Manchester, began selling meat products at the end of February.
The move will end the concept that was introduced eight years ago and is another sign that the popularity of veganism is fading.
Adonis added meat options in January to help bring in more customers, but it wasn’t well received by some vegans online.
The family-owned, all-vegan cafe opened in 2021 as a restaurant offering only plant-based options, but high inflation and a 40 percent drop in sales forced the business to add meat, eggs and dairy.
At its peak, there were 10 stores offering only vegetarian and vegan options across the UK, including salad bowls and falafel sandwiches.
At its peak, there were 10 Veggie Prets across the UK and, in 2019, the High Street brand had planned to convert more until the pandemic quashed its ambitions.
In 2022, Pret closed three-quarters of its vegetarian-only stores because it said it offered meat-free options elsewhere and did not need standalone outlets.
The two London Veggie Prets, one on Broadwick Street in Soho and the other on Great Eastern Street in Shoreditch, will convert and start selling meat on February 19.
Meanwhile, Manchester Veggie Pret in Deansgate will reopen on February 26.
The Veggie Bret store on Broadwick Street in Soho, London, reopened as Standard Pret in February.
Veggie Pret’s remaining stores will begin selling meat products like this Chicken and Walnut Risotto Soup at the end of the month.
Despite setbacks with its vegetarian-only outlets, the brand continues to expand with 41 sites opened last year.
Katherine Bagshawe, UK food and coffee director at Pret A Manger, said: “Today, one in three of all our top meal sales are vegetarian or vegan.
‘Every Pret store is a Veggie Pret store, with new vegetarian and vegan products on our menu all the time.
“Our original Meatless Meatball Hot Wrap was born at Veggie Pret, but became one of the top five sellers in all of Pret in its first week of launch, showing us how customers in all our stores want amazing vegetarian food.”
The development is another sign that veganism is losing popularity after experts warned that many vegan restaurants could close in the coming years as they struggle to compete with restaurants that sell meat.