Normally when you talk about vegans and vegan restaurants a lot of the noise surrounds the snobby attitude that is seemingly a requirement in most of them, but this story is a little different because the restaurant is actually backtracking on its ethics and starting to serve meat as they were left with ‘no other option’.

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The Mango Tree is a cafe and restaurant located in Taunton, England and they first hinted at the change in their menu with the following Facebook post that talked about ‘new options’:

Obviously there were quite a few unhappy vegans – when are there not? – regarding this development with the pick of the comments coming here:

This is a massive shame. It’s been amazing to have a 100% vegan restaurant in Taunton. Veganism isn’t a business venture. It’s an ethical philosophy that does the best for the animals, the planet, and public health.

Introducing animal products to a menu in a town that has so many other restaurants makes no sense. It immediately increases the environmental footprint. It means that the restaurant immediately starts to support animals going through hell again.

Geez give them a break hey? It can’t have been that easy a decision for them to make can it? Given the fact that rising energy bills are probably going to put most venues in the hospitality sector out of business this Christmas, I can’t really blame them for doing whatever they think is necessary to stay open.

Here’s their lengthy explanation for the change in priorities:

Continuing as a purely vegan restaurant has not been sustainable for a considerable amount of time as there are simply not enough customers supporting us in our current format.

The new restaurant will allow us to protect the jobs of our wonderful team, and will allow us to continue offering Taunton delicious, freshly cooked vegan meals that would be otherwise have disappeared.

Despite lots of marketing, many special offers, offering dine in and takeaway, introducing the use of home delivery partners, and working incredibly hard to be as efficient as possible, not enough of the local population used us regularly enough to make continuing in the current format sustainable.

Ethics extend to the jobs and welfare of our wonderful team, to whom we owe a great deal, and another chance.

We must move on with positivity and are determined to do so.

Yeah it sounds like they really tried didn’t it? All the vegans crying about it shutting down probably should have ordered some more food from them every now and again. Just saying.

For more of the same, check out this 34 year old vegan explaining why he drinks his own piss. Thanks for letting us know dude.