SERVICE at Glasgow Michelin-starred restaurant Cail Bruich was disrupted by vegan protestors last weekend, in an incident that led to Police Scotland making five arrests.
On the evening of Saturday 20 May, seven well-dressed people walked in off Gt Western Rd and occupied tables that were reserved for customers. They then identified themselves as members of the group Animal Rising and complained about the restaurant’s ‘meat-heavy’ menu.
When asked to leave, they refused, and the Police were subsequently called. Police confirmed afterwards that five of the seven had been arrested.
A Police spokesperson said: “Around 7.55pm on Saturday, 20 May, 2023, officers were called to a business address on Great Western Road, Glasgow following reports of a peaceful protest within.
“The group were given advice and asked to leave the premises. When they refused, five people were arrested, cautioned and charged. They are expected to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court at a later date.”
The protest group claimed to have staged simultaneous protests at other luxury restaurants around the UK, in Southampton, Bristol, Birmingham, Lancaster, and at Wolfgang Puck’s CUT restaurant in Park Lane, London, with the aim of creating ‘a national conversation’ about animal based food production.
These are not the first actions of this type by Animal Rising – and not the first where the group has chosen to target venues that prominently champion sustainable ingredients and welfare-friendly farming, rather than disrupting the business of more obvious purveyors of mass-produced meat.
SLTN approached Cail Bruich’s head chef Lorna McNee for comment, but she politely declined.
However chef-proprietor Simon Martin, of Manchester Michelin-starred venue Mana suffered a similar incursion in December 2022, and subsequently issued a statement online questioning whether the protestors ‘fully understood’ their own cause.
Mr Martin said: “Whilst everyone is entitled to their opinions and beliefs, we are confused as to why the protestors chose to target a restaurant that prioritises sustainability and animal welfare, instead of a corporate fast-food chain.
“Mana has always been a highly sustainable restaurant, sourcing hyper local and sustainably-produced vegetables from small businesses just like ourselves who abstain from GMOs, herbicides and pesticides. Farms for livestock we use are personally visited by members of the team to ensure standards there meet our criteria for supply, and seafood is strictly captured by hand or line.
“The cost of a meal at Mana is reflective of these production methods, which are lower yield and higher quality. It’s ironic that the protesters who are campaigning for better food supply do not realise the cost attached to the quality, leading us to believe they do not fully understand their cause.”
