Celebrity chef John Mountain has been forced to add a booking fee to his Aussie restaurant after he was trolled following his decision to ban vegans from dining.
Mountain is the owner of Fyre, a restaurant in Connolly, Perth, which serves up a range of dishes including steaks, fish and risotto.
But the foodie caused a stir last week when he announced on the restaurant's Facebook page that he would be banning vegans from dining there 'for mental health reasons', declaring in a later interview with 7News: "F**k vegans - I’m done with them."
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It all stemmed from an email Mountain says he'd received from a vegan prior to their arrival at the restaurant. He assured them he could accommodate them with vegetables and gnocchi.
However, on the day the customer was due to arrive, Mountain was occupied with a private function he'd forgotten he'd had to work on.
The following day, Mountain claimed he received a complaint from the customer who alleged she was served an unsatisfactory vegetarian meal for AUD$32 (USD$21).
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In a complaint sent via direct message, the customer wrote: “My only option was the vegetable dish… it was okay but not that filling… and I was shocked to see it was $32.
“I think it’s incredibly important nowadays that restaurants can accommodate everyone and to not be able to have actual plant-based meals shows your shortcomings as a chef.
“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 from that building and none of them last.
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“If you don’t get with the times, I don’t hold out faith that your restaurant will be the one that does.
“I think it’s incredibly important nowadays that restaurants can accommodate everyone and to not be able to have actual plant-based meals shows your shortcomings as a chef."
Mountain admitted he'd fallen short on his promises to the customer ahead of her arrival, but argued that the complaint had become personal.
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"I understand where vegans are coming from but my job is to make food taste as good as I can and I can’t always cater to everybody’s dietary requirements," he told 7News.
Following the blanket ban on vegans, Mountain says he was subjected to an influx of fake bookings by trolls.
He's now been forced to introduce an AUD$30 (US $20.08) booking fee to ensure he doesn't get screwed over again.
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Fyre's website now explains: "Due to the frequency of non-genuine vegan bookings, we have been forced to request a $30 per person booking fee.
"This fee is wholly deductible from your bill after dining at Fyre."
UNILAD's sister site LADbible reached out to Fyre for comment.
Topics: Food and Drink, Vegan, Australia
Chloe Rowland