The owner of a vegan cafe has brilliantly put a customer in their place after they left a TripAdvisor review complaining they had been "misled" as the burger they were served was meat-free.
The diner visited the Sweet Pepper Cafe in Barrow-in-Furness and failed to spot the "massive sign" in the front window pointing out that everything they serve is made from plants.
It was only when the order of a "bacon cheeseburger stack" arrived that it dawned on the customer, causing them to flee the restaurant in a hurry before leaving a two star review online, Lancs Live reports.
The customer wrote: "There were no signs on outside or on menu to indicate that this was a vegan restaurant. Having ordered a bacon cheeseburger stack I was sorely disappointed to realise it was a vegan version.
"We paid and then went to McDonald’s for a proper beef burger."
The owner posted an epic response to point out all the clues they had missed that the cafe does not serve meat. They replied: "Hi, it may have been very difficult for you to have seen our massive sign on the front before you entered the cafe saying 'Everything Made From Plants!' as the sun was a bit low when you came in with your partner.
"All around the cafe, you might have missed either of the newspaper articles or the trophy for our award as 'Rising Culinary Stars in Vegan & Vegetarian Cuisine' which may have hinted what type of food we serve.
"Our menu is full of word plays where we intentionally misspell non-plant-based ingredients to sound similar to animal-sourced products (e.g. cheeze=cheese, bacwn=bacon, feesh=fish, etc.)."
The cafe said the customers had happily cleaned up their starters with no complaints, and then called out the pair for claiming they had to leave as there was an "emergency" rather than telling the truth - only to then write it online instead.
The owner said they had "pulled away from the table as if you saw something disgusting", adding: "How can you try to write an honest review on TripAdvisor when you can't be honest in person? We could have refunded your wasted meal if you had said you were not happy."
It finished: "We don't really advertise the cafe as vegan as veganism is a way of life & we respect everybody's choice. We prefer plant-based as it is more inclusive and definitive of the food & drinks we serve.
"We are sorry you felt misled as that was never our intention. We hope you try us again in the future now that you know how good plant-based food is as what is evident on your starter plates. Thank you."
The review was left in March, and due to the lockdown Sweet Pepper Cafe is currently closed to sit-in diners, but remains open for collection and delivery.
