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Popular chef John Mountain recently banned vegan diners inside his restaurant after a customer reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with the plant-based options available at the place. The chef shared a statement regarding the ban on vegans on his restaurant's Facebook page and wrote:
"Sadly All Vegans are now banned from FYRE (for mental health reasons). We thank you for your understanding."
Mountain's restaurant Fyre is located in Perth, Western Australia. Mountain, who has been on food series like Great British Menu, has been living in Australia for about seven years now.
John Mountain told PerthNow that he had been approached by a consumer who requested vegan options, and he promised to make the necessary arrangements. John explained that he was too preoccupied with a private party to recall the promise when the woman visited the restaurant on Saturday, June 17, 2023.
As he could not fulfill his promise, the woman complained to the restaurant's Facebook page and criticized that there was only one vegan option available, a vegetable dish worth $32. She also wrote that it is essential for restaurants to accommodate all types of customers and that the absence of vegan options demonstrates a chef's incompetence.
"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 for 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. "
John Mountain launched his first restaurant in 2000
John Mountain completed his education from Marco Pierre White at his Mayfair restaurant in Mirabelle. He then joined Heston Blumental at the Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire.
John then developed a drinking habit, but later launched a restaurant called Mosaica in Wood Green in 2000. Although the idea was criticized by a few people in the beginning, the restaurant received positive reviews from food critics. Mountain was eventually featured in the Great British Menu.
During his appearance on the show, he insisted on serving a rabbit stew pudding to King Charles on a plastic set. The decision was not liked by everyone, and chef Marcus Wareing marked him two out of ten. He then left the set, and speaking of the same, shared:
"As I walked out and kicked the doors open, all I saw was this six foot picture of myself staring down at me."
He then launched the English Pig in London's Millbank with his savings, but it shut down in 24 months after suffering losses. He then came to Australia in 2016 and worked with the best chefs before establishing Fyre.
Netizens strongly react to John Mountain's decision to ban vegan diners
Following the complaint, John Mountain banned vegan diners from his restaurant. Evidently, the Facebook complaint went viral on social media platforms, prompting a slew of negative response for the restaurant, with many individuals rating it one out of five stars on Google.
The online responses also influenced the restaurant's Google rating, which dropped from 4.2 to 2.8. Netizens also reacted strongly to Mountain's ban, citing it as "discriminatory," but there were others who also praised his decision.
In an interview with 7News, Mountain said that he is done with vegans, while addressing his book, titled Pig: Cooking with a Passion for Pork, that features pork recipes. He continued by saying that he knows where vegans come from, but he aims to prepare good food and cannot fulfill everyone's dietary requirements.
Vegan activist Tash Peterson also responded to John Mountain's decision while speaking to 7News and said that the ban was a kind of discrimination, similar to banning Muslims or women from the restaurant. She added that veganism has witnessed increasing popularity and all restaurants should try to fulfill the needs of customers as per their dietary requirements.
