BCP Council has u-turned on its vegetarian-only menu at one of its cafes after feedback from hungry diners demanded meat.
The Durley Chine environmental hub opened along the beachfront at the end of winter with an eye firmly on being kind to the environment.
One rule which the council imposed when opening was to have a vegetarian-only restaurant which serves vegan sausage rolls, vegetarian cakes and peppered steak-less pasties.
However, following feedback from customers, the council has now revised the menu to include meat.
A council spokeswoman said: “When we launched in February 2023, the catering manager made some well-considered menu decisions based on data and trends.
“We served milk-based ice cream, homemade vegetarian cakes and a selection of vegan pasties.
Read more: A look inside the eco-friendly hub and kiosk on Bournemouth beach
“The biggest request on the comment cards for the first three months was for a meat option.
“At this flagship kiosk we pilot different ranges to find what customers prefer with both food and drink on offer and sustainable options, and the offerings for both will continue to evolve in line with customer feedback.”
Shoppers in Bournemouth town centre had mixed views on the menu change made by BCP Council.
Richard Massey said: “I’m not surprised at all - you have to give people what they want.”
Mark James added: “At least [the council] got something right. Not everybody likes vegetarian food so I can’t understand why they would limit what meat-eaters can have.”
Read more: Vegan restaurant 'forced out' by landlord over dispute
Brendan Callaghan, however, said vegetarian food “is the way the world is going” and that it is “strange” for the council to change the menu back to meat.
Read more: Burger King apologise after serving vegan a chicken nugget
The spokeswoman for BCP added: “The emphasis on being an environmental building comes from our desire to reduce waste, specifically, rather than as a reflection of our menu.
“We used sustainable materials to build the building with funds awarded through a Coastal Bid to recycle and reuse and generate jobs.”
The hub has been designed to be as environmentally friendly as possible, featuring a green roof on top of a building that is entirely built using recycled material.
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