Furious activists hound popular vegan restaurant chain as owners announce closure of all locations after making shock change
Outraged activists have taken aim at a famous vegan restaurant chain after announcing they would close all locations a year after adding meat to their menu.
Sage Regenerative Kitchen & Brewery, with restaurants throughout California, was once a leader in plant-based casual dining.
Chef/owner Mollie Engelhart, originally known as Sage Vegan Bistro, announced a change of direction last year in addition to a rebranding.
Engelhart renamed the chain and implemented a range of animal products on the menu.
The decision to do so was widely criticized and met with protests from vegan activists who even formed an angry mob outside one of the restaurants.
An announcement earlier this week that the restaurants would close has delighted former clientele who continued to promote the move.
In a statement on Instagram, the company said: “As we look back on the journey that began in 2011, we remember Mollie and Elias at the farmer’s market, gathering the freshest produce from farm to table (long before they were a couple) . .
“For the past 14 years, their unwavering commitment to quality food and supporting local farmers has been the heartbeat of our restaurant.
Sage Regenerative Kitchen & Brewery, with restaurants throughout California, led the way in plant-based casual dining
Chef/owner Mollie Engelhart, originally known as Sage Vegan Bistro, announced a change of direction last year in addition to a rebranding
“A year ago, we faced enormous challenges and made the difficult decision to sell their home in the hope of breathing new life into Sage.
“We have all put our passion into shifting the concept to regenerative agriculture, but despite our efforts, we find ourselves in the same predicament today.
‘Sunday January 5 is our last day of service. We invite you to visit us during our last week. Please share your favorite memories with us; they mean the world.
“Thank you for 14 incredible years of support. We say goodbye with love from the Sage, Mollie & Elias family.’
The top response to the post came from animal rights group PETA, which said: ‘LA’s first and LAST regenerative kitchen. Serving humanely washed meat, dairy and eggs under the guise of ‘regenerative agriculture’ has betrayed the animals, the planet and kind customers who are not harmed by your cruel choices.”
Another said: ‘My favorite memory is when compassion and ethics were on the menu.
‘It is now very clear that over the past year you have simply been looking for a way to make more money and have lost your way, selling out the animals and putting exploitation first. I’m not surprised you’re closing.’
Another added: “We already said goodbye to Sage. Too bad the dead animals didn’t make you enough money to stay open.’
Earlier this week it was announced that the restaurants would close, much to the delight of their former clientele
In conversation with the LA timesEngelhart said the plan to transition to animal products was to “focus on sourcing and proselytizing regenerative agriculture practices.”
The renowned chef announced the restaurant’s transition to regenerative agriculture in an Instagram post on Earth Day last year.
They began offering meats such as bison and beef, as well as cheese and eggs, which brought significant backlash.
Tensions rose last June when activists stormed the restaurant and even threw fake blood down in protest.
“These people came into my restaurant, harassed my customers and my employees, vandalized my restaurant and openly said they wanted to put me out of business,” Engelhart said. Fox Digital at the time.
She also cited rising crime in her local Echo Park neighborhood as one of the biggest challenges her business faces.
They began offering meats such as bison and beef, as well as cheese and eggs, which brought significant backlash
Tensions rose last June when activists stormed the restaurant and even threw fake blood down in protest
“Friday night there was a stabbing right outside the restaurant,” Engelhart said. ‘Without this extra stress, the neighborhood already feels chaotic and scary.
“It’s illegal what these people are doing: harassing guests and staff in the restaurant, and the police didn’t show up for three hours.”
After taking the step to make her restaurant non-vegan, she also told The LA Times, “I had the same view of the world as she did before I changed my ideas based on my experience in farming, and I pity what they do. you feel.
“I hope that the vegan community and the regenerative community can really come together, because I think they’re both powerful, powerful avenues for change.
“It’s vulnerable to say publicly, ‘I believed one thing, and maybe I was wrong and now I believe something else.’
“But I hope it inspires people in their own lives to be willing to be open-minded when something else makes more sense to you.”