Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
22
Customer Rates A Vegan Café With One Star Because They Didn’t Have ‘Normal’ Milk, The Owner Replies With A Witty Comeback
Interview With Owner
For someone who likes my coffee with oat milk only, this bad review left for Café Van Gogh, a vegan restaurant in Brixton, comes as somewhat of a bamboozlement.
According to the dissatisfied customer, they were forced to drink oat milk since the place didn’t have “normal milk.” “‘It says ‘vegan friendly’ but is just vegan,” the review stated, noting that their oat milk cappuccino tasted ‘like porridge.’
But the owner Steve Clarke, 47, who runs the non-profit business with head chef and co-owner Bonita de Silva, decided to respond. So they penned a mic-drop response putting the customer in their place and winning the hearts of the internet. “You can’t win ‘em all…,” stated the caption alongside the screenshot that Steve shared on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
Read it all in full right below and share your thoughts in the comments!
A dissatisfied customer recently left a one-star review for Cafe Van Gogh in Brixton, claiming they forced them to drink oat milk that tasted like ‘porridge’ 
Image credits: cafevangoghldn
But the owners Steve Clarke and Bonita de Silva didn’t stay silent and penned a hilarious response that put the critic in their place
Image credits: cafevangoghldn
Image credits: cafevangoghldn
Bored Panda reached out to Steven Clarke, the owner of Café Van Gogh, which is a Brixton Road, London-based vegan restaurant and a non-profit social enterprise. The cafe works in conjunction with Toucan Employment, a learning disability employment charity, to run a program of on-the-job training for people with additional challenges in life, such as a learning disability or a mental health problem, to provide them with the support and confidence to seek paid employment.
“Along with all businesses, we do, of course, get occasional bad reviews. This is normal, and doesn’t faze us and is an opportunity for us to learn and grow,” Steven told us. “The point we were trying to make with our response is please talk to us if you have a problem,” he added.
The cafe is a non-profit social enterprise that trains and employs adults with learning disabilities, and ‘runs on kindness’
Image credits: cafevangoghldn
The owner explained that the team of Café Van Gogh is an “incredibly approachable team of staff, and will find time to discuss your problems. We move mountains to put things right, if we’re given the opportunity to do so… but a review posted perhaps days later leaves us with little opportunity to do anything about it, except exercise our right of reply.”
The customers can contribute to their pay it forward scheme that means buying coffee for those who can’t afford it
Image credits: cafevangoghldn
When asked whether it has ever happened before that a customer is unaware that their restaurant is vegan, Steven said that it shouldn’t happen. “It’s on our menus, on our chalk boards, certainly on our website and social media profiles, and it’s ALWAYS mentioned when people request a coffee, so we can work out what milk is wanted.”
In fact, “it’s our USP… I guess some people are unhappy about that, and frankly that’s just tough,” he added.
Image credits: cafevangoghldn
“We take each review as we find it, and fortunately until porridge-milk-gate we’ve not had many poor reviews,” Steven said and added: “At best they are an opportunity for us to take feedback and grow. At worst they are someone in a darkened room somewhere enraged that we do things differently at Café Van Gogh, and feeling the need to lash out.”
Image credits: cafevangoghldn
“My background pre-café is working with people with very complex needs. I pick up a real sense of unhappiness from some of these people, they should likely get out more,” the owner and the author of this viral response to the bad review concluded.
And this is what people had to comment on the incident
But some pointed out the term ‘vegan-friendly’ might have been confusing
What do you think ?
Foxxy (The Original) 3 years ago (edited)
What did the customer expect for crying out loud. If you go to a vegan Cafe, expect vegan food and drinks. It's not bloody rocket science. I went to a Cafe once and when I looked at the menu it said in capital letters NO SUBSTITUTIONS, when I went to order, I asked for no butter on a toastie but they classed that as a substitution. You know what I did, I politely said "no worries, thank you" and left. See, simple. On another note, I love what they are doing with training people with disabilities and their pay it forward motto. Kudos to them.
Pat Bond 3 years ago (edited)
I applaud what they are trying to achieve. The website on the first page says: A Destination Here at Cafe Van Gogh we are famous for cooking delicious, plant-based dishes using seasonal ingredients. Our menu changes every 6-8 weeks so be sure to keep an eye on our instagram page to see what’s cooking. At the bottom of all the menus is: Everything is Vegan. Please advise staff of any allergies before ordering. None of the pictures in the article or on google maps would give you the impression that it's a vegan establishment just from the outside. Vincent Van Gogh however was a vegetarian, that clue may just be a bit too subtle.
Load More Replies...
CatWoman312 3 years ago
Im not a vegan and if I saw “vegan friendly cafe” I would presume it was indeed a vegan cafe lol. I likely wouldn’t go, but if I did I wouldn’t be this pretentious. Obviously if you enter an establishment with a certain type of food/beverage you may or may not like it. Same idea if you enter say an Indian or Russian restaurant you might not like it, that’s your palettes fault, not the restaurant’s.
Vicky Z 3 years ago
To be fair vegan friendly doesn't mean exclusively vegan though.... i don't know if the place is advertised as vegan friendly or just vegan but if it's the first it's indeed misleading! However when they tell you the choices and you don't like them you just leave! You don't drink the coffee and then complain on TripAdvisor!
Load More Replies...
Goth mouse (they/them) 3 years ago (edited)
Im allergic to dairy and id love to have a coffee at a cafe, none of the ones in my area have anything dairy free! A fully dairy free cafe with no risk of cross contamination would be amazing 🥺
Yoga Kitty 3 years ago
I would love to have a vegan café or restaurant near me - I live quite rural and most places you can go to do not even offer vegetarian alternatives yet. I usually have to secretly bring my own milk in my handbag if I want to have a coffee with friends somewhere...
Izzy Curer 3 years ago (edited)
I don't see any signage anywhere that specifies anything about the shop other than that they serve coffee. If it's such a large part of their business ethic, why isn't there a sign? If the fact that they're vegan-friendly is just on their website or their google maps page, it's not going to be very clear. Vegan-friendly doesn't mean the same as vegan, it means optional. You can tell by the way the reviewer wrote the review, they read 'vegan-friendly' somewhere, and that's specifically what they're complaining about. They're complaining about the lack of signage, or the poor description. Not the actual part where they ended up with a crappy drink.
WildBerry 3 years ago
I think you're probably right. The owner's response is a bit over the top.
Load More Replies...
PixxelDust 3 years ago
To all the people in that last bit who were agreeing with the dumb reviewer rather than the nice restaurant, THEY DONT HAVE A NON-VEGAN OPTION BECAUSE NON-VEGANS CAN STILL EAT VEGAN FOOD, UNLIKE THE VEGANS WHO CANNOT EAT NON-VEGAN FOOD. It's not that hard to understand. Just respect people. Please.
Damon Tripodi 3 years ago
Reminds me of the one-star review for my favorite steakhouse because of their poor vegetarian selection. Not sure which part of steakhouse says they have a great vegetarian menu.
JayWantsACat 3 years ago (edited)
The "why don't vegan cafes & restaurants have to offer vegan options but vegan cafes & restaurants don't have to offer non-vegan options?" comment is so f*****g stupid. Non-vegan establishments don't have to offer vegan options. It's not like a f*****g law, you dolt. And because of that, vegan establishments exist to fill that void. And veganism is a specific type of cuisine (and lifestyle, I guess. I don't know I'm not a vegan) which is why non-vegan food is typically not served there as those options are literally available at 99% of other restaurants. By their reasoning, you should able to go to an Indian restaurant and expect to demand Mexican food. What a moron. They probably whine about February being Black History Month and complain that there's no White History Month, which is literally every month but of course they're too stupid to understand that.
Rob Woodman 3 years ago
Wow. Interesting herd of straw men (straw persons?) you created. Good job, you!
Load More Replies...
April Stephens 3 years ago
Always gotta take reviews with a grain of salt. I wouldn't hold a one-star review like this against a restaurant, even without a response from the owner. The review and response are informative (it's helpful clarification that they're fully vegan with no dairy option), so I deem this a happy ending.
Viviane 3 years ago (edited)
I read several reviews of a place. If one person complains bitterly about a trivial detail while everyone else was happy, the person is a difficult visitor. If several people complain, that's different. If there's an indication that the owner reads reviews, they might fix the problem. In one case, a B&B owner defended his policy about his cats to one cantankerous whiner. A totally different problem was mentioned by other guests. Since the consensus was positive on every other detail, I booked it. The owner had solved the problem by the time I arrived. Had a great time there. And the cats were lovely :)
Load More Replies... Viviane 3 years ago (edited)
If people force you to finish a coffee with vegan milk, you get bragging rights: "I had to finish it, but I didn't talk." Seriously, what a wimp. Of course, I'm an old hand at being tortured - my mother used to make me eat my peas and carrots. Back to being serious: I don't think Amnesty International gives a s**t about this person's plight. And they're not alone in not caring. Okay, I tried to take this seriously (and seriously failed).
Rob Woodman 3 years ago
It only counts as torture if they were canned peas/carrots.
Load More Replies...
Stargazer66 1 year ago
Oh no, another entitled snowflake expecting someplace to bend over backwards like a pretzel to cater to them even though what they want isn't even on the menu. I blame Donald Trump for this.
Teresa Lewis 3 years ago
I'm not vegan but it looks like a cool little spot. I would have loved a soy cappuccino !
iblowsheep 3 years ago
how many f*****g vegans go to a regular place and throw a s**t fit if they don't have vegan options?
ADHORTATOR 3 years ago
I am not vegan at all, but I would like to give them a try. I drink my coffee black, so I take no risk
Jacin Larkwell 3 years ago
I just find it hilarious because there are ridiculous stories of vegans flipping out about places like bbq restaurants that only have salads as a vegan option and now it seems the turn tables are turning a bit
ChelleShock 3 years ago
Just gonna point out that passive aggression, mockery, and name calling aren't really friendly or kind. These people seem like d***s pretending to be nice.
WildBerry 3 years ago (edited)
I don't think the owner's response matched the review. Seems the owner could have simply said "No one forced you since it's all over our menus that we're planted based and you were asked by your server which type plant based milk you wanted when you ordered." End of story. Makes me wonder if the owner was set off by other bad reviews and not just this one star review.
Hannah Edwards 3 years ago
I had to google the cafe. The food looks gorgeous, I will definitely be making a visit next time I go to London.
Martha Meyer 3 years ago
That reply wasn't exactly witty imo. That customer was an idiot though.
Nikki Sevven 3 years ago
I'm not vegan, although there are plenty of meatless dishes I enjoy. Honestly, I wouldn't know which milk to choose for my coffee either, since I usually use half-and-half. However, unlike that customer, I would have described the taste and mouth feel I was looking for, then asked the server for a recommendation...just like I would with any unfamiliar cuisine. I wouldn't see any reason to expect my omnivorous palette to be catered to.
WildBerry 3 years ago
That's how I prefer my coffee but the OP ordered cappuccino which requires a milk of some sort.
Load More Replies...
Rob Woodman 3 years ago
“Cute little staff”? About people who, according to the owners have developmental and other issues? Yeah that’s not pat-on-the-head demeaning. You’d be hopping up and down if I did this.
Load More Replies...
Mandy Renn 3 years ago
If you don't like it, don't buy it! Sheesh! Anyway, coffee is often better without milk.
Potato 3 years ago
You can always tell who the non-vegan is, because they won't shut up about how annoying vegans are.
Load More Replies... Foxxy (The Original) 3 years ago (edited)
What did the customer expect for crying out loud. If you go to a vegan Cafe, expect vegan food and drinks. It's not bloody rocket science. I went to a Cafe once and when I looked at the menu it said in capital letters NO SUBSTITUTIONS, when I went to order, I asked for no butter on a toastie but they classed that as a substitution. You know what I did, I politely said "no worries, thank you" and left. See, simple. On another note, I love what they are doing with training people with disabilities and their pay it forward motto. Kudos to them.
Pat Bond 3 years ago (edited)
I applaud what they are trying to achieve. The website on the first page says: A Destination Here at Cafe Van Gogh we are famous for cooking delicious, plant-based dishes using seasonal ingredients. Our menu changes every 6-8 weeks so be sure to keep an eye on our instagram page to see what’s cooking. At the bottom of all the menus is: Everything is Vegan. Please advise staff of any allergies before ordering. None of the pictures in the article or on google maps would give you the impression that it's a vegan establishment just from the outside. Vincent Van Gogh however was a vegetarian, that clue may just be a bit too subtle.
Load More Replies... CatWoman312 3 years ago
Im not a vegan and if I saw “vegan friendly cafe” I would presume it was indeed a vegan cafe lol. I likely wouldn’t go, but if I did I wouldn’t be this pretentious. Obviously if you enter an establishment with a certain type of food/beverage you may or may not like it. Same idea if you enter say an Indian or Russian restaurant you might not like it, that’s your palettes fault, not the restaurant’s.
Vicky Z 3 years ago
To be fair vegan friendly doesn't mean exclusively vegan though.... i don't know if the place is advertised as vegan friendly or just vegan but if it's the first it's indeed misleading! However when they tell you the choices and you don't like them you just leave! You don't drink the coffee and then complain on TripAdvisor!
Load More Replies... Goth mouse (they/them) 3 years ago (edited)
Im allergic to dairy and id love to have a coffee at a cafe, none of the ones in my area have anything dairy free! A fully dairy free cafe with no risk of cross contamination would be amazing 🥺
Yoga Kitty 3 years ago
I would love to have a vegan café or restaurant near me - I live quite rural and most places you can go to do not even offer vegetarian alternatives yet. I usually have to secretly bring my own milk in my handbag if I want to have a coffee with friends somewhere...
Izzy Curer 3 years ago (edited)
I don't see any signage anywhere that specifies anything about the shop other than that they serve coffee. If it's such a large part of their business ethic, why isn't there a sign? If the fact that they're vegan-friendly is just on their website or their google maps page, it's not going to be very clear. Vegan-friendly doesn't mean the same as vegan, it means optional. You can tell by the way the reviewer wrote the review, they read 'vegan-friendly' somewhere, and that's specifically what they're complaining about. They're complaining about the lack of signage, or the poor description. Not the actual part where they ended up with a crappy drink.
WildBerry 3 years ago
I think you're probably right. The owner's response is a bit over the top.
Load More Replies... PixxelDust 3 years ago
To all the people in that last bit who were agreeing with the dumb reviewer rather than the nice restaurant, THEY DONT HAVE A NON-VEGAN OPTION BECAUSE NON-VEGANS CAN STILL EAT VEGAN FOOD, UNLIKE THE VEGANS WHO CANNOT EAT NON-VEGAN FOOD. It's not that hard to understand. Just respect people. Please.
Damon Tripodi 3 years ago
Reminds me of the one-star review for my favorite steakhouse because of their poor vegetarian selection. Not sure which part of steakhouse says they have a great vegetarian menu.
JayWantsACat 3 years ago (edited)
The "why don't vegan cafes & restaurants have to offer vegan options but vegan cafes & restaurants don't have to offer non-vegan options?" comment is so f*****g stupid. Non-vegan establishments don't have to offer vegan options. It's not like a f*****g law, you dolt. And because of that, vegan establishments exist to fill that void. And veganism is a specific type of cuisine (and lifestyle, I guess. I don't know I'm not a vegan) which is why non-vegan food is typically not served there as those options are literally available at 99% of other restaurants. By their reasoning, you should able to go to an Indian restaurant and expect to demand Mexican food. What a moron. They probably whine about February being Black History Month and complain that there's no White History Month, which is literally every month but of course they're too stupid to understand that.
Rob Woodman 3 years ago
Wow. Interesting herd of straw men (straw persons?) you created. Good job, you!
Load More Replies... April Stephens 3 years ago
Always gotta take reviews with a grain of salt. I wouldn't hold a one-star review like this against a restaurant, even without a response from the owner. The review and response are informative (it's helpful clarification that they're fully vegan with no dairy option), so I deem this a happy ending.
Viviane 3 years ago (edited)
I read several reviews of a place. If one person complains bitterly about a trivial detail while everyone else was happy, the person is a difficult visitor. If several people complain, that's different. If there's an indication that the owner reads reviews, they might fix the problem. In one case, a B&B owner defended his policy about his cats to one cantankerous whiner. A totally different problem was mentioned by other guests. Since the consensus was positive on every other detail, I booked it. The owner had solved the problem by the time I arrived. Had a great time there. And the cats were lovely :)
Load More Replies... Viviane 3 years ago (edited)
If people force you to finish a coffee with vegan milk, you get bragging rights: "I had to finish it, but I didn't talk." Seriously, what a wimp. Of course, I'm an old hand at being tortured - my mother used to make me eat my peas and carrots. Back to being serious: I don't think Amnesty International gives a s**t about this person's plight. And they're not alone in not caring. Okay, I tried to take this seriously (and seriously failed).
Rob Woodman 3 years ago
It only counts as torture if they were canned peas/carrots.
Load More Replies... Stargazer66 1 year ago
Oh no, another entitled snowflake expecting someplace to bend over backwards like a pretzel to cater to them even though what they want isn't even on the menu. I blame Donald Trump for this.
Teresa Lewis 3 years ago
I'm not vegan but it looks like a cool little spot. I would have loved a soy cappuccino !
iblowsheep 3 years ago
how many f*****g vegans go to a regular place and throw a s**t fit if they don't have vegan options?
ADHORTATOR 3 years ago
I am not vegan at all, but I would like to give them a try. I drink my coffee black, so I take no risk
Jacin Larkwell 3 years ago
I just find it hilarious because there are ridiculous stories of vegans flipping out about places like bbq restaurants that only have salads as a vegan option and now it seems the turn tables are turning a bit
ChelleShock 3 years ago
Just gonna point out that passive aggression, mockery, and name calling aren't really friendly or kind. These people seem like d***s pretending to be nice.
WildBerry 3 years ago (edited)
I don't think the owner's response matched the review. Seems the owner could have simply said "No one forced you since it's all over our menus that we're planted based and you were asked by your server which type plant based milk you wanted when you ordered." End of story. Makes me wonder if the owner was set off by other bad reviews and not just this one star review.
Hannah Edwards 3 years ago
I had to google the cafe. The food looks gorgeous, I will definitely be making a visit next time I go to London.
Martha Meyer 3 years ago
That reply wasn't exactly witty imo. That customer was an idiot though.
Nikki Sevven 3 years ago
I'm not vegan, although there are plenty of meatless dishes I enjoy. Honestly, I wouldn't know which milk to choose for my coffee either, since I usually use half-and-half. However, unlike that customer, I would have described the taste and mouth feel I was looking for, then asked the server for a recommendation...just like I would with any unfamiliar cuisine. I wouldn't see any reason to expect my omnivorous palette to be catered to.
WildBerry 3 years ago
That's how I prefer my coffee but the OP ordered cappuccino which requires a milk of some sort.
Load More Replies... Rob Woodman 3 years ago
“Cute little staff”? About people who, according to the owners have developmental and other issues? Yeah that’s not pat-on-the-head demeaning. You’d be hopping up and down if I did this.
Load More Replies... Mandy Renn 3 years ago
If you don't like it, don't buy it! Sheesh! Anyway, coffee is often better without milk.
Potato 3 years ago
You can always tell who the non-vegan is, because they won't shut up about how annoying vegans are.
Load More Replies...
Related on Bored Panda
76
70