Share
1st February 2024
07:43am GMT
A vegan restaurant in the north-west has announced it will be adding meat dishes to the menu in order to stay open.
Last week, Nomas Gastro Bar in Macclesfield said it had come to the "difficult yet necessary decision" to start serving meat in order for the business to survive.
Owner Adonis Norouznia said the restaurant has been facing "heartfelt and profound" challenges in recent times. He added that the establishment will serve "a thoughtfully curated selection of high-quality, responsibly sourced meat and dairy".
Announcing the menu change on Instagram, Norouznia wrote: "This has been a moment of deep reflection and decision-making for us, and we trust that you will understand the heartfelt reasons behind our upcoming changes to our beloved vegan cafe and restaurant."
He went on to explain that by being a vegan-only eatery, they had only managed to get a "small number of customers, making it increasingly difficult for our business to thrive financially."
The post continued: "This has led us to a profound decision, one we've made with much contemplation and consideration.
"In response to these challenges, we have made the difficult yet necessary decision to introduce a thoughtfully curated selection of high-quality, responsibly sourced meat and dairy options to our menu.
"This change will allow us to cater to the diverse tastes of our cherished customers and ensure that everyone can find something wonderful to eat and enjoy at our establishment."
The restaurant owner added that their "commitment ro the vegan community remains unwavering" and that they will "continue to offer a wide array of scrumptious vegan dishes, rooted in our core values of sustainability, freshness, and flavour."
Following the announcement, some have criticised Nomas Gastro Bar, with some comments accusing the owners of "moral bankruptcy," Proper Manchester reports.
One person wrote: "This is awful to see! You should work on advertising your vegan options to non-vegans to open up your market as opposed to selling death and cruelty. You will NOT have the support from the vegan community if you go ahead with this ghastly change!"
Another said: "I’m by no means an expert in the field, but I can’t help but feel that you’d be best served by sticking to your morals and instead diversify in other ways beyond food / drink."
"Such a shame to hear this. We should be moving towards compassion, not away from morals," a third wrote.
There were many who supported the move though, saying that they would continue to support the business.
"Great idea, we want you to stay open," one fan commented, with another saying: "I love your food but am definitely looking forward to more varied options."
Someone else penned: "I love everything you do, and all that you stand for. Businesses usually have adapt to keep going from strength to strength, and I'll support any changes you make that'll keep your beautiful cafe and restaurant open."
In response to criticism, Norouzina explained in another post that on a daily basis he would see people walk into the restaurant and leave immediately after seeing its all vegan food.
Answering followers who wanted to know if there was another option for his business, he added: “In answer to comments like ‘Is there no other way’, we promise, we have explored so many avenues.
“When the new menu does happen, the majority of it will still be vegan. There will be a few meat alternatives for those who would prefer them.
“We’ve seen a few comments like ‘I was planning to visit but now I won’t’. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean a lot. Right now we are not taking enough money to pay our wonderful team’s wages or rent to our landlord, people’s thoughts on visiting don’t help us pay these bills."
Related links:
Explore more on these topics:
