Restaurant owner faces backlash after deciding to ditch vegan menu

A vegan restaurant owner has spoken out about why she's decided to start selling meat in her LA eateries.

Owner Mollie Engelhart, who runs the well-known Sage Vegan Bistro, said she had no choice but to change the menu at her Pasadena, Echo Park, and Culver City branches from "all-plant based" spaces to those that meat.

Menus would soon feature the likes of bison burgers, patty melts, and Philly cheesesteaks, she said, and the restaurant chain would get a new name, Sage Regenerative Kitchen.

You can watch her making a statement below:

"It has been my honour to serve the vegan community in Los Angeles for the past 13 years," she said. "I am moved every time I think about all the people that we serve; all the people that come to our restaurants, all the families that were created, first dates...lots of different types of relationships came out of these restaurants.

"Today [...] we are making a very special announcement. We are transitioning [Sage Vegan Bistro] to a different kind of restaurant.

"The focus of Sage from this point forward will be regeneration."

She goes on to say that regenerative agriculture is at the forefront of the eatery's mission going forward, shifting from plant-based only to serving "high quality proteins," too.

"To some this may seem shocking or upsetting," she adds in the video. "But if you look at the last seven years of my life, and as I moved into regenerative farming to serve the highest quality food to my customers, I started to learn so much about soil and nature, and I realised that when I started Sage Vegan Bistro I thought a vegan diet was what was best.

"After learning how the bovine has such a profound affect on soil, I've changed my mind."

The vegan restaurant is adding meat to its menu (Credit: Sage Restaurants)

Responding to the Bistro's post, it's safe to say the crowd was divided, with some loyal customers pretty riled at the news.

"Way to turn your back on the very community that made your business pop off and more importantly, on animals," said one plant-based customer in the comments.

While another wrote: "Do not try to green wash with words like 'regenerative'. These is no way to farm animals and create dairy in a sustainable way, not to mention Tolbert torture and murder of animals."

"There is so much science that it’s better for the environment and for the soil to be vegan, that you’re just shouting personal opinions at this point," said a third.

"As an organic farmer in Hawaii whose prime focus has been soil regeneration for the last 5-years, I can attest that soil regeneration can 1000% be done without killing other sentient beings. Planting nitrogen-building grasses such as perennial peanut, sun hemp, & more have an incredible impact on the soil, with zero harmful impact to the planet or other beings…and it requires zero rotation," a fourth chimed in.

Others took a different stance, though.

The chain was a favoured plant-based spot for many (Credit: Sage Restaurants)

"Huge respect for following what you know to be authentic, and facing the fear of being judged by those with passionate opposing views," someone else said.

While another wrote: "This is what leadership looks like. It’s courageous to tell the truth in public about our own human evolution especially when it changes from our previous paradigm."

"This is the best news of all time... looking forward to grass-fed burger from Sage," another supporter commented.

Regenerative farming, which is the process being hailed by Mollie, focuses on protecting soil in order to maintain the ecosystem.

Speaking on the practice, PETA says: "There’s not enough evidence to suggest that regenerative agriculture can make animal-derived products 'sustainable,' and the practice does nothing to prevent the immeasurable cruelty inherent in exploiting animals for their bodies.

Because the term 'regenerative' is vague, some brands are now using claims of regenerative farming as a way to greenwash and 'humane wash' animal-based products."

Featured image: Sage Vegan Bistro