
Months after adding meat to its menu, California’s Sage Regenerative Kitchen, a formerly vegan restaurant, has closed its doors permanently.
Previously known as Sage Plant-Based Bistro & Brewery, the restaurant had been a mainstay in the Los Angeles vegan dining scene for over a decade. In April 2024, facing mounting financial difficulties, the restaurant rebranded as Sage Regenerative Kitchen. It began serving “regeneratively farmed” meat and dairy products. The move was intended to attract a broader customer base, but it alienated its loyal vegan patrons and sparked significant backlash.
Sage chef Mollie Englehart defended the decision then, stating, “I want to give meat-eaters an opportunity to purchase meat at a restaurant that comes from cleaner, healthier, better sources. That doesn’t really exist right now, and I feel like that is a wide-open space for me to move into.” She described the shift as a “more scalable path forward that is better for the animals.”
However, the decision drew outrage from customers, animal rights groups, and even Sage’s employees. Critics accused the restaurant of betraying its original values of compassion and sustainability. PETA denounced the move on Instagram, stating, “Regenerative Agriculture is a SHAM if it involves animals. This is such a huge betrayal to animals, the Earth, and your customers.”
Despite the pivot, the financial struggles persisted, leading to the closure of its remaining locations in Echo Park and Pasadena on January 5, 2025. The restaurant announced its closure via Instagram, explaining that it remained “in the same predicament” despite the menu changes.
The announcement was met with mixed reactions, with some celebrating the closure as a win for animal rights. PETA commented, “LA’s first and LAST regenerative kitchen. Serving humane-washed meat, dairy, and eggs under the sham of ‘regenerative farming’ betrayed animals, the planet, and kind customers who weren’t duped by your cruel choices.”
Another comment chimed in: “This is a great day for animals. One less butcher shop posing as a restaurant in town.
Sage is not the only former vegan restaurant in Los Angeles to introduce animal proteins to its menu—Hot Tongue Pizza, Elf Cafe, Burgerlords, and Margo’s have all made similar changes over the past year or so.
Rising operational costs, shifting consumer habits, and intense competition have created a difficult environment for businesses to thrive – vegan and non-vegan alike. These pressures have impacted even high-profile establishments, highlighting that the struggle is not exclusive to plant-based restaurants but a broader issue within the hospitality sector.
Lifestyle
Vegan culture, food, beauty & more
Gordon Ramsay Ditches Vegan Hate and Backs Flora’s Plant-Based Butter in New ‘Skip the Cow’ Campaign
- Totally Vegan Buzz Team
- 28th January 2025
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, once infamous for his digs at vegans, has taken a sharp turn in the kitchen. Ramsay has teamed up with Flora, the famous UK-based spread brand, as its global ambassador, marking a bold new chapter in Flora’s “Skip the Cow” campaign. Flora, established in 1964, has long been a household name …
The Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Places in Latin America
- Totally Vegan Buzz Team
- 27th January 2025
Latin America is experiencing an extraordinary rise in plant-based dining options. A new study, spearheaded by Veganuary in partnership with the food discovery platform HappyCow, reveals that Latin America now boasts over 10,000 vegan, vegetarian, and vegan-friendly restaurants—an impressive 21.6% jump compared to last year. Brazil takes the crown as the number one country, with …
Continue reading “The Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Places in Latin America”
VEGAN MEMES
NEED A LAUGH?
QUIZZES
All the quizzes you love to binge!
QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert
- Marlon Farrugia
- 10th January 2020
How much vegan knowledge do you have stored away? Do you have to Google your way through a shopping trip, or do you have all the bad E-numbers memorised? Find out now with this quiz. [wpViralQuiz id=27203]
QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 13th October 2019
Spook Season approaches. There will be ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and glucose. You need a costume, and you want to it to show off your personality, which means VEGAN. But what to choose? Take our quiz to find out your perfect outfit. [wpViralQuiz id=33494]
QUIZ: What kind of vegetable are you?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 26th September 2019
“If you were a vegetable, what kind would you be?” A question that has tormented humanity throughout the ages – until now. [wpViralQuiz id=31281] Read: QUIZ: If you score 19/20 on THIS quiz, you’re a Vegan God