Has vegan activism gone too far?

Has vegan activism gone too far?

FRUSTRATED chefs are banning vegans from their restaurants after spending hours preparing special plant-based meals — for diners who then fail to show up for their bookings.

According to The Mirror, the problem of vegan no-shows is so serious in Cornwall in England that the High Tide Seafood Restaurant has introduced a “no vegan” policy.

A second restaurant in the region, Oliver’s, is now considering taking a deposit for bookings after owner Ken Symonds designed special meals for a table full of vegans who cancelled at the last minute.

And another eatery, Ben’s Cornish Kitchen, introduced a £10 ($AU17.76) deposit for all diners last year as a result of last-minute cancellations, while nearby The Rising Sun Truro has also been affected.

Oliver’s Falmouth recently vented on Twitter about the latest vegan no-shows, writing: “Beautiful #vegan menu for my table of 6 vegans, been working on it all morning, 4 of each starters/main courses and puddings, just cancelled on me, thanks policy change in the offing”.

Beautiful #vegan menu for my table of 6 vegans, been working on it all morning, 4 of each starters/main courses and puddings , just cancelled on me, thanks policy change in the offing 😢😡 — Oliversfalmouth (@oliversfalmouth) March 9, 2018

Many other restaurants tweeted a reply, saying similar cancellation had hit them also.

Ben’s Cornish Kitchen posted: “It’s a vegan thing just lost a table of 3 of them tonight” while The Rising Sun Truro added “We had a table of 4 vegans just do a no show last week #feelyourpain”.

While most Twitter users were sympathetic to the restaurants’ plight, may wondered why vegans were being particularly targeted, pointing out that meat-eaters also cancelled at the last minute.

Many suggested introducing compulsory booking fees or deposits, as well as permanently offering more vegan options on menus so chefs do’t have to cook special dishes.

@cornishkitchen @therisertruro two sensible policy changes:



1. take a deposit on -all- reservations

2. follow the lead of so many other restaurants and have food that is suitable for vegans permanently on the menu



Vegans aren't the only people who eat food suitable for vegans — Ian Hamilton (@ianhamilton_) March 11, 2018

But chefs insist that no-shows or last-minute cancellations are affecting their restaurant’s bottom line.

Chef Ben Prior from Ben’s Cornish Kitchen said Cornwall had always been particularly affected by no-shows as it was a tourist destination, but that the problem had recently worsened.

“But this year has seen it get extreme. We got absolutely smashed because of it in July and have lost about £10,000 ($AU17,663.41) throughout the year as a result of people not turning up,” The Mirror reported.

Another chef, Nik Boyle, who runs the Victoria Inn, said it was now an “epidemic”.

“We have lost about £2,500 ($AU4415.85) in December from last minute cancellations or no shows. It’s got to epidemic if not pandemic levels,” he told The Mirror.

“If I ordered £500 ($AU883) worth of goods from you then phoned an hour before you were to deliver it after you’d paid staff and materials would you just bin it and accept the loss?”

UK chef Damian Wawrzyniak has even started a Twitter campaign with the hashtag #stopnoshow, and he has vowed to name and shame “all no shows and fake bookings names, surnames and contact details”.

His campaign has taken off, with many chefs sharing their own stories.

Many have reported a significant drop in no-shows since introducing the “name and shame” policy.

So I’ve decided I will show all no shows & fake bookings names, surnames & contact details. End of the day they are all fake so no harm right? #StopNoShow pic.twitter.com/fgXkttZi1E — Damian Wawrzyniak (@ChefConsultant) March 9, 2018

alexis.carey@news.com.au