Furious vegans besiege LA restaurant on Father's Day and force it to close after owner dropped plant-based menu for meat and dairy dishes

Furious vegans shut down an LA restaurant in protest over its decision to drop its plant-based menu in favor of meat and dairy dishes.

Angry demonstrators swarmed on Sage Regenerative Kitchen & Brewery in Echo Park on Father's Day and were so disruptive the premises was forced to close.

The protest came after chef Molly Engelhart announced her decision to move away from a solely vegan menu.

The mob threw fake blood and daubed 'Chef Molly killer' outside the restaurant during the tense standoff.

'These people came inside of my restaurant, harassed my customers, my employees, vandalized my restaurant and openly said they'd like to put me out of business,' Engelhart told Fox Digital.

Furious vegans shut down an LA restaurant and threw fake blood in protest over its decision to swap its plant based menu for meat and dairy dishes.

The renowned chef announced the restaurant's transition to regenerative farming in an Instagram post on Earth Day.

Last month the Sage Plant Based Bistro became Sage Regenerative Kitchen & Brewery and began offering meats such as bison and beef as well as cheese and eggs.

But the backlash was swift, with Engelhart flooded with negative comments.

'Sick to my stomach over this. Sage has been our go to for our vegan family for years,' one woman wrote. 'So very devastated by this. Feels like mourning a death.'

'So your restaurant will be sourcing food from one of the most land intensive forms of farming there is and you're announcing this on earth day, amazing,' another person added. 

The protest came after chef Molly Engelhart announced her decision to move away from a solely vegan menu

'This is insane - as a fellow all vegan restaurant owner, longtime customer and admirer of you, I am so sad and disappointed in your horrific transition to animal slaughter,' one commenter wrote.

However, Engelhart has remained firm in her decision.

'I believe that there's other places that they could put their passion,' she said. 'There are more pressing issues than my restaurant. 

'This is all very disappointing. We are a small family business trying to make it. California is the hardest place to do business.' 

 She cited soaring crime in her local neighborhood of Echo Park as one of the greatest challenges facing her business.

'Friday night, there was a stabbing right outside the restaurant,' Engelhart said. 'The neighborhood already feels chaotic and scary without this added stress. 

Angry demonstrators swarmed on Sage Regenerative Kitchen & Brewery on Father's Day and were so disruptive the premises was forced to close

The renowned chef announced the restaurant's transition to regenerative farming in an Instagram post on Earth Day and was quickly met with a backlash

'It's illegal what these people are doing, harassing guests and staff inside the restaurant, and the police did not show up for three hours.' 

Engelhart is among the hundreds of thousands of people who have ditched California in the wake of high levels of crime, drug use and homelessness in the state. 

She left the area during Covid and has relocated in Texas, periodically travelling back to the Golden State to check on her restaurants.

Violent crime in Los Angeles rose by 2.9 percent in the first three months of 2024, and robberies increased by 9.5 percent, and homicides were up 28.1 percent.

Despite this, California governor Gavin Newsom recently announced plans to slash funding for law enforcement as the state struggles with a massive deficit of at least $45 billion.

The proposed budget includes a $97 million cut to trial court operations, $10 million to the Department of Justice's Division of Law Enforcement and over $80 million to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.