Wetherspoons vegan Christmas burger ‘not suitable for vegans’

Staff have put up a customer notice at the pub in Havelock Road, Hastings town centre, saying: “The Big Cheese burger on our Christmas menu is not suitable for vegans, even when ordered with the Beyond Meat plant-based patty. We apologise for any inconvenience.”

The Big Cheese burger contains brie slices, topped with two halloumi fries, and comes with a blue cheese dip and chips. It is available with a 6oz beef patty, a breaded vegetable patty, fried buttermilk chicken, or a grilled chicken breast for £7.80 with a soft drink, or £9.10 with an alcoholic drink. The Beyond Meat plant-based patty option costs £1 more and is labelled as suitable for vegans on the printed table mat festive meals menu - even though the burger contains cheese.

The customer notice explaining the mistake was sent to all Wetherspoons pubs to print and display - including The Picture Playhouse in Bexhill, and The George Hotel in Hailsham.

Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon told the Hastings Observer: “The printed table mat advertising Wetherspoon’s Christmas dishes lists the new Big Cheese burger as available with a 6oz beef burger patty, vegetable burger, chicken breast, fried buttermilk chicken burger or a Beyond Meat plant-based burger. The mat incorrectly labelled on the Beyond Meat burger option as suitable for vegans. As the dish contains cheese, this is incorrect. The information is however correct on our customer information screens and on the Wetherspoon app. The customer notice explaining the mistake was sent to all Wetherspoon pubs to print and display to clarify the position for our customers.”