Vegan fanatics hit restaurant with bad reviews

Vegan “fanatics” bombarded Chestergate restaurant with bad reviews to punish him.

Vegan restaurateur, Adonis Norouznia, who announced he was going to have to start serving meat to avoid closure says vegan “fanatics” bombarded his business with bad reviews to punish him.

The struggling restauranteur, owner of Nomas Gastrobar, announced the “difficult but necessary decision” to add meat and dairy to his plant-based menu, as his business was failing to attract sufficient diners.

He said his was the fourth vegan restaurant in Macclesfield to cave in to meat eaters during the seven years he has lived there. “When my business is 100% vegan, I’m targeting only 5% of the market,” he lamented.

Many customers have supported his decision to cater for meat eaters, he said. “A lot of customers had been asking for it and when we announced it they said: ‘great, now I can bring my partner’.”

But others – who Norouzina believes have never even visited the cafe – have started leaving one-star reviews online. One left on Thursday read: “Deserves zero stars. Zero ethics and lapping up the media attention by becoming involved in animal exploitation and cruelty.”

He has also received hateful messages, he claimed. “They say: ‘die! You are going to slaughter animals, you are going to sell animal organs.’ Chill out guys. We’re going to source good quality products from local producers, as we always do. We’re just going to add a few dishes for the rest of the people who are not vegan.”

Norouznia described his critics as “extreme fanatics” who are trying to harm the business with bad reviews, “trying to defame me”.

He begged for a little more understanding: “These people should not be so hard on me. If the business is not making money, and they are putting one stars in just to punish me, then it’s not going to help. They have to show sympathy and empathy.”

Until he made the announcement, “99% of my customers were happy” and he had just one bad review from more than 300, he said.

Can Macclesfield’s meat eaters save Adonis’ business?