By Zara Woodcock
Made In Chelsea star Verity Bowditch's plant-based restaurant sparked outrage after some customers unknowingly 'ate meat' following changes being made to the menu.
The TV personality co-founded plant-based fast food joint Clean Kitchen with YouTuber Mikey Pearce in 2020. However, she made the difficult decision to step down after animal products were added to the menu, sparking outrage among customers. One particular customer was angered as their website and menu still advertised the joint as fully plant-based despite the recent change.
Another dissatisfied customer told us he recently went into one of the branches and ordered a meat burger "thinking it was 100% vegan." The change in menu was announced on social media on Monday by Verity and Mikey, who shared a video about Clean Kitchen's journey and changes.
They captioned the post: "Hey guys… we have some news… After a tough consultation period we have made a difficult decision, we have opened up our menu to beyond only offering plant-based dishes, effective immediately.
"Clean is now opening up our menu to be focused on becoming healthier, fresher and better for you. We will of course still be championing our plant-based classics on our menu. Unfortunately with this change in strategy, Verity has decided to step away from the day-to-day involvement of the business."
They added: "We appreciate your understanding and as always, appreciate the support of the Clean family. We will continue to innovate and push forward to provide a tasty, accessible and inclusive menu to our incredible community and look forward to welcoming you all back soon!"
While many praised Verity for 'sticking to her values' and stepping down, many were disappointed in the update and took to the comment section to complain. One user slammed the restaurant for using '100% plant-based' on their website, which has since been taken down.
They said: "Still states 100% plant based on the website - this is harmful and careless advertising, and could even make someone with allergies really ill!" Clean Kitchen swiftly responded to the user and told her the website was removed and they 'actioned it on Friday.'
CK then apologised for the website still showing up. The user then said: "It hasn’t been removed, your advertising still states plant-based and vegan on your website and social media. Why was there no announcement before meat was added to the menu? I visited your restaurant today and checked your website before ordering, and was reassured it was fully plant-based!"
The establishment told the user: "Hey the website has been taken down, we are contacting our website developer to make sure this has done," and added it could take a few hours for the site to update. Unimpressed by the restaurant, the user replied: "So why did you start serving animal products before all advertising was updated?"
In the video, Mikey and Verity explained their business decision and said the restaurant would be adding animal products following a "tough, tough year." They said it would move from a “100 percent plant-based menu to a much more wholefood approach, catering for everyone."
Verity then opened up about her decision to step down and told viewers: "I’m so passionate about animal welfare, I can’t physically be part of something that isn’t fully plant-based. I have to stand true to my values."
The Mirror reached out to Clean Kitchen and has contacted Verity's reps for comment.
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