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Furious activists hound popular California vegan restaurant chain as owner announces closure of all locations after making shock change
DAILYMAIL.COM ^ | 5 January 2025 | JOE HUTCHISON

Posted on 01/05/2025 5:09:38 AM PST by dennisw

'One year ago, we faced tremendous challenges and they made the difficult decision to sell their home in hopes of breathing new life into Sage.

'We all poured our passion into shifting the concept to regenerative agriculture, but despite our efforts, we find ourselves in the same predicament today.

'Sunday, January 5th will be our final day of service. We invite you to visit us during our last week. Please share your favorite memories with us; they mean the world.

'Thank you for 14 incredible years of support. With love from the Sage family, Mollie & Elias, we say goodbye.'

Outraged activists have taken aim at a famed vegan restaurant chain which has announced it will close all locations after adding meat to the menu one year ago.

Sage Regenerative Kitchen & Brewery boasts restaurants across California and was once a leader in the plant-based casual dining experience.

Originally known as Sage Vegan Bistro, chef and owner Mollie Engelhart then rebranded last year whilst outlining a change in operations.

Engelhart renamed the chain and added a range of animal products to the menu.

The decision to do so was widely criticized and met with protests from vegan activists who even formed an angry mob outside one of the restaurants.

An announcement earlier this week that the restaurants are set to close has come much to the delight of former clientele who continued to blast the move.

In a statement to Instagram, the company said: 'As we reflect on the journey that began back in 2011, we remember Mollie and Elias at the farmers market, gathering the freshest farm-to-table produce (long before they were a couple).

'Over the past 14 years, their unwavering commitment to quality food and supporting local farmers has been the heartbeat of our restaurant.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Food
KEYWORDS: california; restaurant; vegan
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To: V_TWIN

“people ate meat all through the Bible”

And in the New Testament people are clearly told NOT to abstain from eating meat: “which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.” I Tim. 4:3


41 posted on 01/05/2025 6:05:10 AM PST by MayflowerMadam (It's hard not to celebrate the fall of bad people. - Bongino)
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To: thinden

“nothing to do with$20 min wage?”

Exactly.

It is like liberals who said they fled the cities because they wanted “better schools” when they really fled because of high crime by those who shall not be named.


42 posted on 01/05/2025 6:11:32 AM PST by cgbg (It is time to pull the Deep State out of the mass media--like ticks from a dog.)
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To: DAC21

HIGHER WAGES & MORE RULES==SHUT ‘ER DOWN.


43 posted on 01/05/2025 6:11:35 AM PST by ridesthemiles (not giving up on TRUMP---EVER)
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To: dforest

Many will close after the minimum wage increase in that State to $20 per hour.

Businesses can’t afford to stay in business. Price goes up from farm to table and all the way to the customer.
**********
Some of them may be able to keep operating by raising prices, hiring fewer workers, and selling less; but consumers and unhired workers lose with this option, too.


44 posted on 01/05/2025 6:12:48 AM PST by Socon-Econ (adi)
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To: Lizavetta
He's a gun-owning truck-driving Trump supporter but he wants some tasty vegan options when going out to eat. Sometimes it's simply that.

My daughter has an EXTREME dairy sensitivity (not life-threatening, but pretty bad). She likes meat just fine, and while she can have Wendy's chili, I got her an apple/pecan salad (hold the bleu cheese) as my wife thinks we need more vegetables.

After she got sick, she checked the ingredients on-line . . . lactose powder on the pecans. What the heck?! Anyway, I am grateful for a local vegan dessert place where I can get her a treat once in a while without worrying (I have iced tea). So, these outlets have a place, and they are not all hard left.
45 posted on 01/05/2025 6:14:52 AM PST by Dr. Sivana ("Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye." (John 2:5))
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To: jimfree

I have NEVER protested, complained or boycotted a restaurant for menu items (vegetarian, GF, etc.). Political messages, yes. But not about food.

Maybe I should. Vegans et al can ‘request’ their food prepared a certain way, no different than I request food be prepared in butter, etc.

I shouldn’t be compelled to read emotional/political statements in a menu.


46 posted on 01/05/2025 6:15:11 AM PST by logi_cal869 (-cynicus the "concern troll" a/o 10/03/2018 /!i!! &@$%&*(@ -)
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To: dennisw

47 posted on 01/05/2025 6:18:49 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have, 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: dennisw

Vegans can’t be in the same ROOM with meat? Do they not realize that they, themselves, ARE MADE OF MEAT? *SMIRK*


48 posted on 01/05/2025 6:20:04 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have, 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: Gen.Blather
But if you meet a vegan, you’ll likely know he’s a vegan with just five minutes exposure.

Or a Linux user.

49 posted on 01/05/2025 6:20:36 AM PST by TangoLimaSierra (⭐⭐To the Left, The Truth is Right Wing Violence⭐⭐)
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To: BobL

I’ve heard that the gluten-free thing is legit. But everyone who I know who goes that way is MUCH more vocal and sanctimonious than any vegan / vegetarian I’ve ever met. “Look at MEEEE.” It’s all about the attention. Annoying.


50 posted on 01/05/2025 6:24:05 AM PST by MayflowerMadam (It's hard not to celebrate the fall of bad people. - Bongino)
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To: dennisw

This looks like a sad case of: live by the ideology, die by the ideology. Though it is really odd that the type of food you serve should be treated as an ideology, but I guess that is the case for Vegans. As some have said, by introducting meat, they infuriated their customer base....because their customer base were intolerant wokies. I guess it wasn’t enough that they could just order Vegan dishes; the entire restaurant had to be PURE.

But I guess, in all fairness, one might see similar behavior if a popular Halal restaurant started hyping its new selection of Kosher foods.


51 posted on 01/05/2025 6:24:24 AM PST by rbg81
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To: V_TWIN

Let’s remember the fine work of our friends at Arby’s (”We have the meats!”) in trolling the vegan extremists:

Arby’s Developed a Carrot Made Out of Meat, Turning the Tables on the Plant-Based Burger Trend
https://www.foodandwine.com/news/arbys-meat-carrots


52 posted on 01/05/2025 6:28:34 AM PST by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: logi_cal869

Some foods are like that. For example, you cannot prepare Kosher foods with the same pots/pans/plates as non-Kosher food.

I guess you can invoke the mantra of “The Customer is Always Right”. The problem here is that the owners catered to a customer base that was fundamentally activist. I guess it worked for a while, but nothing lasts forever. I read once that very few restaurants last more than 3 years. And the reason is not just customers; you also have to survive the insane dictates of the local Department of Health. Had a neighbor who ran a popular Chinese restaurant and the local DOH drove him out of business. He could not get a 3rd mortgage on his house to meet their mandatory modifications they suddenly wanted for his restaurant.


53 posted on 01/05/2025 6:30:10 AM PST by rbg81
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

My favorite line about Vegetarians/Vegans was in one of the episodes of Yellowstone where Kevin Costner mocks one of them—something like:

“The vegetables you eat were grown on farms that required the killing of worms and mice and insects—but you don’t care about them because they are not cute and cuddly.”

Homo Sapiens don’t get to have virtue—all they get to do is fake it—and be irritating at the same time.


54 posted on 01/05/2025 6:32:22 AM PST by cgbg (It is time to pull the Deep State out of the mass media--like ticks from a dog.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

All provided by Almighty God. Don’t forget the sunshine.


55 posted on 01/05/2025 6:37:16 AM PST by sport
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To: FreedomPoster

Ha...had never seen that.


56 posted on 01/05/2025 6:43:17 AM PST by goodnesswins (Don’t be REALITY PHOBIC!)
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To: dennisw

“Hey, we’re going to try that vegan restaurant. Wanna go?”

Me: “Does the menu have a meat section?”

“No, why would it?”

Me: “Meat restaurants have non-meat selections. Why are they doing all the heavy lifting? Let me know when your vegetable restaurant offers a hamburger.”


57 posted on 01/05/2025 6:43:51 AM PST by Larry Lucido (Donate! Don't just post clickbait!)
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To: dennisw

These people are nuts. They could have gone into the restaurant and continued dining on meatless dishes, but instead, gloat that the restaurant went out of business a year after adding some meat dishes to their menu. So, are there other vegan restaurants out there for them, or did these morons unknowingly cut off their own noses to spite their faces with their boycott?


58 posted on 01/05/2025 6:50:07 AM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (FBI out of Florida!)
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To: dennisw

Do vegan restaurants/vegans use seed oils?


59 posted on 01/05/2025 6:51:11 AM PST by mom.mom (Justice for P'Nut!)
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To: Mashood

And trend setters for the MeMe troops.


60 posted on 01/05/2025 6:54:15 AM PST by Vaduz
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