A Weston-super-Mare café owner claims she has been subjected to a “hate campaign” after she turned a greasy spoon into a vegan venue. Anna Southwell took over Sprout last year, she also runs another vegan eatery Loves with her partner Josh Mousley, 32.
But she says some customers have been far from welcoming with her staff being “abused” a dozen times for not selling bacon butties and other "traditional foods" since they opened the plant-based café last June.
The previous owner closed during the pandemic and had previously served up items like hotdogs and burgers, according to Ms Southwell, reports the Express.
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The 44-year-old decided to speak out after a man sought her out at Loves last Thursday. Anna said: “A man shouted at me at soon as he entered the café.
"He wanted to know what I was doing with the café in Grove Park. He told me it should be reopened as it was before because no one’s going to go there and it wasn’t very good, basically.”
“I asked him who he was and, why he was here, and he said he was here on behalf of the people of Weston to tell me ‘what everyone was saying’.”
The incident is apparently the 12th time members of the public have abused her and her staff for selling vegan food and the first time someone has “sought her” out at her other vegan business.
The business also employs some “marginalised or vulnerable” staff like refugees, autistic adults and people who are recovering from drug and alcohol issues and often work alone.
“The staff don’t deserve it,” she explained. “We’ve worked really hard to set up a vegan business.
“Now, when they’re working in what should be a beautiful location in the park surrounded by nature, they’ve got members of the public coming in and shouting at them for no reason. It’s abusive. It’s harassment and it’s having a really negative impact on us. It’s got to stop now.”
As well as being a café, Ms Southwell has hosted 12 music events in the nearby bandstand, which were attended by more than 3,000 people.
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