A woman visited a popular venue in Beverley and ordered burgers, but was left “completely upset and confused” after noticing one key detail – and she even reported it “the local authorities”
The couple ordered and ate their burgers but were unimpressed after noticing a crucial detail about the restaurant they believed wasn’t clear enough (stock image)(Image: Getty Images)
A couple visited an independent café in Beverley and ordered burgers, only to be left furious after finishing their meal when they spotted one important detail about the establishment.
The venue in question is the hit Junk Soul Smothered, located here in Hull, which also operates a stall at York’s popular creative hub, Spark; a venue dedicated to supporting “independent food and drink, retail, social enterprise and community groups”.
Junk Soul Smothered boasts an extensive menu comprising burgers, “junk fried chicken”, alongside brunch staples such as pancakes, muffins, waffles and toasties, as well as Sunday roasts – all with one big twist: the entire menu is completely vegan.
The “proudly plant based” restaurant lists its burgers as “big vegan burgers” on its menu, while its chicken is described as “a 50% tofu, 20% seitan mix”, delivering “a much more chicken-like experience”.
However, this proved to be quite the revelation for one woman who, upon discovering the restaurant was entirely vegan after completing her meal, felt misled and subsequently posted a one-star review online.
Writing under the name Sandra Henderson, she penned: “The menu was definitely not obviously vegan, and nobody told us that our burger was going to be vegan when we paid.
“It wasn’t until after we’d finished eating and were about to leave that my partner noticed a bunch of vegan propaganda plastered all over the notice board by the exit. Seriously?
“We looked over the menu again and realised it was all vegan! Why hide that fact? Why on earth wouldn’t this place be more upfront about being a vegan restaurant?
“We were completely upset and confused by this. We won’t be coming back again. We reported this business to the local authorities.”
Junk Food Smothered shared a screenshot of the review on its Instagram page, while popular account Vegan Food UK amplified it further to its 203K Instagram followers.
In the caption accompanying the post, Vegan Food UK said: “Veganism is causing uproar in the UK – again. Imagine getting a serious complaint from a customer that it ‘was definitely not obviously vegan’?
“Well we all know that the owner of @junksoulsmothered should wear this as a badge of honour, for there is no greater compliment in the vegan world.
“Go check them out next time you’re in East Yorkshire – great pub food and a fully vegan bar! But be warned, it’s not obviously clear it’s vegan”.
The comments section was soon flooded with people keen to voice their opinions. One Instagram user said: “Imagine being upset and confused over eating a delicious cruelty free burger”.
Another said: “I love how they’ve ‘hidden’ the vegan status of the burger but also plastered ‘propaganda’ all over the walls. Do you want them to hide it or not?!”
A third shared: “I love they ate burgers and didn’t notice they were vegan. No complaint. Until they saw a sign on the way out.”
A fourth commented: “She’s done them an absolute solid introducing their amazing looking food to so many more of us, well done Sandra, hope you’re happy now”.
Another restauranteur said: “I’ve had people complain that we tricked them with our soysage when our weekend menu has a vegetarian side and a vegan side clearly written at the top. We even use the word soysage throughout the menu. This is just about people not paying attention.”
Offering an alternative viewpoint, one person noted: “My only issue with this situation is the possibility of the unsuspecting customer having a food sensitivity (nightshade vegetables, etc.) that’s not being taken into account.”
In response, Junk Soul Smothered said: “Like with any restaurant in England, we have to adhere to our local authorities’ food safety protocols, including signage notifying customers to let us know about allergies. If you have an allergy or intolerance, let us know”.