Struggling vegan restaurateur bombarded with abuse and fake reviews after adding meat to the menu to keep up with costs

A struggling vegan restaurant owner was bombarded with online abuse and fake reviews after introducing meat to the menu in a bid to boost sales.

Adonis Norouznia, owner of Nomas Gastrobar in Macclesfield, Cheshire, added meat options in January to attract more customers, but was met with a furious backlash online.

The cafe opened in 2021 as a plant-based eatery, but high inflation and a 40 percent drop in sales forced the company to add meat, eggs and dairy to the menu.

But the choice was not welcomed by a number of vegans online, who posted comments telling Mr Norouznia and his wife to ‘die’.

In conversation with the BBC Newshe said, ‘They told us, ‘What else are you going to do to make money, you’re going to slaughter animals there, you’re going to sell animal organs?’, they even talked about human trafficking.

‘I have nothing to say to them. I’m really sorry if our choices make them feel unhappy, but this is the world, one small independent café isn’t going to change that.’

Mr Norouznia added that he often worried about people vandalizing the cafe.

He urged the trolls and his critics to “walk in his shoes” before judging his decision, and try to better consider the problems facing a small business today.

Announcing the change on social media, the cafe said: ‘We have made the difficult but necessary decision to introduce a carefully curated selection of high-quality, responsibly sourced meat and dairy options to our menu.’

Mr. Norouznia has only been vegan for six years and he knows how to cook meat.

It comes after Pret a Manger revealed they have axed their last three vegetarian stores and converted them to normal outlets due to a slump in demand for meat-free sandwiches.

The remaining Veggie Pret stores – two in London and one in Manchester – started selling meat products at the end of February.

This move will put an end to the concept introduced eight years ago and is yet another sign that the popularity of veganism is dying out.

Adonis added meat options in January to accommodate more customers, but it didn’t sit well with some vegans online

The family-run cafe, all vegan, opened in 2021 as an eatery offering only plant-based options, but high inflation and a 40 percent drop in sales forced the company to add meat, eggs and dairy.

At its peak, there were ten stores in the UK serving exclusively vegetarian and vegan options, including salad bowls and falafel sandwiches.

At their peak there were 10 Veggie Prets in the UK and in 2019 the High Street brand planned to convert even more until the pandemic confirmed their ambitions.

In 2022, Pret closed three-quarters of its vegetarian stores because it said it offered meat-free options in other locations and did not need the standalone outlets.

The two London Veggie Prets – one on Broadwick Street in Soho and the other on Great Eastern Street in Shoreditch – will be converted and start selling meat on February 19.

Meanwhile, Manchester Veggie Pret in Deansgate will reopen on February 26.

The Veggie Bret Store on Broadwick Street in Soho, London, reopened in February as a standard Pret

The remaining Veggie Pret stores will start selling meat products like this chicken and butternut risotto soup by the end of the month

Despite the problems with their vegetarian stores, the brand is still expanding with 41 locations opened last year.

Katherine Bagshawe, UK Food & Coffee Director at Pret A Manger, said: ‘Today one in three of all our main meals are vegetarian or vegan.

‘Every Pret store is a Veggie Pret store, and new vegetarian and vegan products are added to our menu all the time.

“Our original Meatless Meatball Hot Wrap was born in Veggie Pret, but became a top five bestseller across Pret within the first week of launch, showing us how customers want great vegetarian food across all our stores.”

The development is another sign that veganism is declining in popularity, after experts warned that many vegan restaurants could close in the coming years as they struggle to compete with meat-selling eateries.