what happens when vegan restaurants start serving meat... 😷🥩

[@hester1254]

My favourite vegan restaurant started selling meat, to financially survive, which i could kind of understanding. But then the vegan owner started eating meat and posting about it.. that's when I stopped visiting them

[@VeganBeautyGirl]

omg yes. they've gone from 'what's necessary' to just not caring!

[@davidthescottishvegan]

A vegan restaurant starting selling meat and other products I couldn't support. I would rather my business and the vegan restaurant went under because they are putting money before their now non existent ethics. I think an owner of a vegan restaurant should go into a different type of business if it isn't possible to remain vegan and clean kitchen is no longer clean kitchen since it's no longer a ethical business.

[@VeganBeautyGirl]

i think this is it! when you put out a vegan business, i expect you to be putting animals before profit. til the end!

[@FreddieAl]

Get over yourself Jock. If traditional restaurants are forced to serve vegan options, then vegan restaurants should have to serve a couple of meat/fish/dairy options.

[@davidthescottishvegan]

@@FreddieAl It has nothing to do with veganism why restaurants are closing down because even restaurants that don't serve vegan food are being affected. It is to do with the economy and cost of living crisis.

[@FreddieAl]

​@davidthescottishvegan There are not enough vegans who care about vegan restaurants

[@spookeymo]

@@FreddieAl im not even vegan but your weird obsession is giving your ex was vegan so now you hate them all

[@ameliakybert7719]

I live near(ish) bristol and I personally have never eaten at oowee burger, but my mum and sister both LOVED it and one of my non vegan friends said it was the best burger they had ever had, but that was when they were 100% vegan. I don’t love the fact they added meat to the menu, but as you said it may encourage meat eaters to branch out and try something new. I also like how it means there are more places that vegans can still enjoy eating out if with meat eaters and still have a delicious meal Also loving the veganuary series-thank you for all the work you’re putting in :)

[@VeganBeautyGirl]

yes! i think it's great to have restaurants with big (even mostly!) vegan menus, but then again i don't like having to sacrifice a vegan restaurant to do it. really appreciate you giving a local(ish haha) view! and thank you! i was just saying at dinner how i'm happy this series has encouraged me to create videos of things i probably would've left in my notes app (eg this video!)

[@PaulaPerpetuo]

I def would cont to support a vegan rest that started serving meat in order to survive. I find it hard sometimes to find a rest that serves both great vegan and non vegan food (I don't have anyone vegan in my life, and so when I go out to eat I'm always on the look out for that, altho I *do* prefer to go to a rest that just serves vegan food).

[@VeganBeautyGirl]

yes, i feel this! i think it can really depend so much on the city/town and situation. like if they could BACK UP with evidence how changing their menu is critical in offering a decent vegan offering in the area ... i could kinda understand? i think this is it. i need to see a business really communicate WHY they're changing their menu and then case by case figure out if it's okay?

[@PaulaPerpetuo]

@@VeganBeautyGirl and if this rest ended up having just 1 or 2 meat dishes on the menu (which I know is A LOT) it's still in my opinion going to be better than closing down and being replaced by a predominately meat rest. Altho it must be really hard for a vegan rest to have to inc meat dishes to survive. I think like you Nicole if it was me, I'd sell up and do something else, I'd find it difficult... so I couldn't do it, but I would still support as I'd understand...

[@maggiebrown480]

I lived in Bristol for a few years. Oowee diner in Bristol is originally an omni fast food restaurant. Only a few years later they opened Oowee vegan (separate branch to the original) also in Bristol, then in London.

[@VeganBeautyGirl]

OOOH this is very interesting! i hadn’t realised! i think this def changes my thoughts on the change.

[@coffeeecats]

​@@VeganBeautyGirlI live in Bristol too and they have 3 shops! 1 has always been omni (but predominantly meat). The most central is still vegan but the Picton street branch thats changed to omni is out of the way and very small. So I'm not overly suprised but it is a shame!

[@eproudfoot2799]

Small town vegan here. We had one vegan cafe and one vegan restaurant. The vegan cafe was really struggling so decided to start serving animal products instead of shutting down. Overall I think it’s a case by case thing. They pay their staff really well, and at least there is still somewhere us vegans can go for options in the morning. So I think it’s still an overall plus although disheartening

[@PaulaPerpetuo]

Nicole you give vegans a great name! x

[@kingorbit]

Either a restaurant serves animals or it does not. I prefer to spend my limited restaurant meal budget at the one vegan restaurant in my town. I dont walk into other places unless someone else is paying , then I just order whatever is vegan or close as it can be given the restaurant. Its hard for me to believe there are truly cases where a vegan restaurant cant make enough profit to stay open but they can turn things around by adding a couple of meat offerings.

[@FreddieAl]

It could have something to do with the fact that adding meat dishes in a vegan restaurant will appeal to 97% of the population. If vegans are so worried, then perhaps they should eat out more and support vegan restaurants.

[@kingorbit]

thats what i am saying, dont eat at restaurants that serve meat. thats what i do unless I am invited/required to go to a meat serving eatery.

[@travellerjames]

I went to clean kitchen once before it went non-vegan. Got there an hour before the closing time and they told me they were already packing away and I couldn’t order. It was all a bit of a mess to be honest

[@VeganBeautyGirl]

they were so unserious, idk how they got so much funding?

[@josephhughes1498]

The scary thing is with vegan places serving meat i would definitely order it by accident assuming its a vegan version, I did it in the supermarket sometimes when i first gave up meat if the packaging is young and hip haha

[@VeganBeautyGirl]

omg yes there's a place in camden called 'bad vegan' which you'd think would be a vegan restaurant ... but no! i think a lot of people were confusded.

[@elisazouza]

there's this guy in london that runs a full vegan sushi restaurant i cant remember the name of it and i love OOWE OMG

[@VeganBeautyGirl]

is it 123V???

[@elisazouza]

@@VeganBeautyGirl yes thats the one!! i really wanna go there

[@RaquelOsorio-i8l]

I live Upstate NY, in the Hudson Valley, and went bankrupt by having a vegan restaurant. That said, I am still very proud of it. 80% of my patrons were not vegan but said they would be if they could eat like that always. Even my employees were not allowed to bring in any non-vegan foods. I was trusted enough that kosher families would eat there even though I wasn't certified. I ONLY eat in vegan restaurants (once a year🤣🤣🤣) because I know restaurant kitchens, their grills, fryers and cutting boards...:( I wish vegans would do their best to support fully Vegan places. I love this video and you are an amazing example of a compassionate, well versed Vegan. Much Love and Peace from Upstate NY

[@elisazouza]

i called out a vegan restaurant for having a partnership with redefine meat becos of that brand being tied to Israel :( like it doesn't fit with the vegan morals of supporting that- also on this video, i never knew vegan restaurants were doing this!

[@VeganBeautyGirl]

i swear redefine meat were working overdrive last year. i had to decline SO MANY invites to try new redefine meat dishes. but god did i make sure to make it CLEAR why i was turning it down and expressed my disappointment for the restaurant choosing to serve it in the first place.

[@elisazouza]

@@VeganBeautyGirl that's so good you've been doing that!!! i've been noticing them trying so hard to collaborate with big vegan brands or restaurants! i prefer juicy marbles and im glad i never tried them!

[@adereynolds]

I really don't get the financial argument. Because you lose your USP, alienate the customer base you have built, and likely fail to attract many new people. I mean who is the restaurant then for? People who want meat will find options more focused on that. Many will still associate with being veggie and vegan and won't go there. I mean most chains and generic restaurants have vegan options so the masterplan of abandoning ethics and just becoming another restaurant seems really stupid. But inevitable I guess as veganism grows and more look to get involved for capitalism rather than ethics. I'm using the closures as justification to eat out more often just in case it's the last time. If tofu vegan or club mexicana close or start serving meat then you can find me crying on the streets of Spitalfields.

[@VeganBeautyGirl]

i completely agree! and it's not like veganism is on the out? i get we aren't as trendy but we're still massive numbers and the amount of 'plant curious' diners are growing!

[@adereynolds]

@VeganBeautyGirl I guess there's a lot of panic from small businesses generally, especially in food when so many people can't afford to eat out as much. So I get they're looking for new ideas. But given loads of generic cafes and restaurants are closing, it's not a great solution to just become one of those instead! Did Oowee really add meat? Couldn't find any mention on their site or menus. Seems very odd when all the branding is plant based. Starts to feel like a failed Apprentice task.

[@Lfcklopp]

Thankyou for the facts and information very interesting to listen to thankyou ❤

[@VeganBeautyGirl]

happy to help!

[@slashnburn9234]

If you’re a Jewish deli, would you sell bacon? If you were a Hindu Indian restaurant, would you serve beef? No, because it’s fundamentally against your philosophical beliefs. Same with veganism, if you can’t keep it going then just close and reopen as a different restaurant. I don’t think any true vegan could start serving meat, anymore than a vegan could work in a slaughterhouse, or a Muslim work in a pub. I appreciate that it’s hard to be a small business these days, but could you really sell-out your morals to keep it going rather than just go to do something else?

[@VeganBeautyGirl]

completely agree! i know i personally couldn't sell anything non-vegan even if it were to 'make veganism more accessible'

[@slashnburn9234]

@@VeganBeautyGirl exactly. If a non-vegan opened a vegan restaurant (which I doubt would ever happen) you could kind of see the difference, but veganism isn’t like opening a burger place and then deciding you’re going to sell sushi instead, selling meat as a vegan is completely against the entire ethos of being vegan. I mean, I understand it must be hard when it’s your livelihood on the line, but maybe it’s better to find a cheaper location or cut overheads somewhere else rather than abandoning your entire philosophical belief system to be an active participant in the exploitation of animals.

[@FreddieAl]

And if a vegan restaurant goes bankrupt, would non-vegans care? NO.

[@cathymclennan1702]

Amen, RE being respectful when making comments, otherwise it reflects poorly on all vegans!!!!! From a15 year vegan living in London ON Canada 🍁 🍁! I just discovered you, and so far I am impressed! 💚

[@VeganBeautyGirl]

hi from london to london haha! yours is where justin bieber's from??!

[@cathymclennan1702]

@ Yes! 😁

[@conversationswithcharis9266]

And after I commented you talked about Clean Kitchen & Benji’s Buns… point made 😂

[@VeganBeautyGirl]

hahahhahah. omg i did NOT realise i had that much to say about those businesses!

[@DeferFuncClose]

I went to a "vegan" restaurant a while back and the food was absolutely great! I love dessert so I was very excited for that. They had this chocolate cake that was served with vanilla ice cream. I was shocked when they said that it was ice cream made with cow milk. I bet 99% of people wouldn't even notice if they were served soy vanilla ice cream. Dessert is mostly a disappointing experience. 90% of the time it's sorbet as the only option, I don't get it.

[@GS-lq2is]

Unity Diner is closing???!! No!!!!

[@denizkenger52]

Isn’t dairy industry more cruel than meat industry though? Surely a dairy alternative existing in the vegan place is a less vegan thing than meat existing as an alternative meal…

[@donaldhickey4055]

cancel them idc

[@VeganBeautyGirl]

so fair

[@Theblindveganlady]

Would love you to go and try a bun at Benji‘s 🤣

[@robbypolter6689]

So I don't see a problem with that. To be honest, only vegan cuisine, you won't survive economically for long and that will also be the reason why meat is also offered there. Our digestion is also not at all designed and suitable for a purely vegan diet. Certain enzymes are missing to break down and utilize a purely plant-based diet. Sooner or later, this malnutrition leads to health problems and abnormal developments. Whole grain rye bread, for example, leads to digestive problems, among other things, because our digestion lacks the enzyme to utilize the outer shell of the grain, which leads to flatulence. The lack of the enzyme results in fermentation gases (methane) and fusel alcohol (an inferior octagonal aromatic hydrocarbon). A person who eats an exclusively vegan diet is not as physically and mentally productive as a person with a balanced diet. Certain long-fiber plant fibers can also cause indigestion because they stay in the digestive system for a long time and take too long to break down. This in turn leads to, among other things, flatulence, sometimes constipation, stomach problems and the production of fusel alcohol. But trying to tell someone what they can or can't eat is excessive and no one has this right. In criminal law terms, this can even constitute an attack on personal rights. The protection of personality and its free development is regulated and protected by law. How a person eats is a purely personal decision. However, it is forbidden to force this life decision on others and declare it to be correct.

[@conversationswithcharis9266]

Many restaurants are struggling but if you add meat to a vegan menu then you’re just not a vegan restaurant anymore. You’re rebranding, choosing finances over ethics and value. I guess it would be interesting to see if they’re still open in two years time…

[@VeganBeautyGirl]

the joke is they aren't even getting the finances. dropping their ethics and morals FOR WHAT

[@FreddieAl]

Vegans should support their restaurants. They're not charitable foundations.

[@FreddieAl]

​@VeganBeautyGirl 97% of the population would be more likely to go into an omni restaurant rather than a niche vegan restaurant.

[@jedmaple]

Must be nice to have extra cash to eat out.

[@FreddieAl]

You know vegan restaurants are not supported when even thy lord god Earthling DickEds restaurant is closing up for good 1st February.

[@spookeymo]

wtf does it even mean to someone who's not deeply entrenched in the topic?

[@GraemeSmith-kd5eb]

They close down,that's what happens.