A TV celebrity chef has told vegans not to consider dining at his restaurant in Perth, Australia, saying negative reviews from fastidious plant eaters were putting his very livelihood at risk.
Fyre restaurant can be found in the state capital of Western Australia. That’s where former Great British Menu star John Mountain declared his upscale destination was a “vegan free zone” in response to a bad review.
He took to social media to publicise his ban on vegans, telling telling them if they want to eat vegetables to “go somewhere else.”
“Sadly all vegans are now banned from Fyre (for mental health reasons),” he said in a Facebook post. “We thank you for your understanding. Xx.”
“Fuck vegans seriously … I’m done. At the end of the day, it’s not what I want to do, they can fuck off,” Mountain further declared.
It is understood he received an initial bad review from a vegan customer who had contacted him prior to visiting to check if they served vegan food.
Mountain promised he would cater to her dietary requirements but forgot about his promise when the day of her visit came around.
“A young girl reached out to me and said she was coming to the restaurant… and asked if there were vegan options,” he told PerthNow.
“It was my only shortfall… I said I would accommodate her, I said we had gnocchi, vegetables… and that was that.”
“Saturday came around and sadly I’d forgotten… I had a private party I had to cater for,” he explained to the outlet.
He also said that his sous chef was upset for “not telling them about the vegan customer.”
But the next day, the vegan customer took to Facebook to make a “personal” complaint about her experience, and angered by her response, Chef Mountain said she made the complaint “personal” and even hit back at the complainant.
He said: “Thanks for your negative review… please feel free to share your sh***y experience and I look forward to not seeing you again. How very childish.
“You and all your vegan mates can all go and enjoy your dishes in another venue, you are now banned.”
File/Melbourne, Australia, 18 march 2017. Vegan activists protest against animal violence in the central business district and call for an end to meat consumption across the country. (Emeric Fohlen/NurPhoto via Getty)
Since the ban, Mountain said support for the restaurant had more than cancelled out the negativity.
“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.”
Mountain has lived in Australia for seven years after leaving the UK to start a new life Down Under.
He starred in cooking shows the Great British Menu and Chef Race UK v US.