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Vegan restaurant starts serving meat in order to stay open
‘This has led us to a profound decision, one we’ve made with much contemplation and consideration’
A vegan restaurant has come to the decision to start serving meat dishes on its menu in order to survive.
Nomas Gastro Bar in Macclesfield made the announcement on Tuesday (January 23rd) that it had come to the ‘difficult yet necessary decision’ to add meat options to its menu in order for the business to survive.
Owner Adonis Norouznia said the challenges the restaurant has ‘faced in recent times have been heartfelt and profound’ and that it will serve ‘a thoughtfully curated selection of high-quality, responsibly sourced meat and dairy’.
Nomas opened its doors as the local vegan spot back in April 2020, but since then it says because of its vegan-only menu it has only had ‘a small number of customers’ which has made it ‘increasingly difficult’ for the business to thrive financially.
Since Mr Norouzina made the announcement on the restaurant’s social media page earlier this week, a number of users jumped to the comment section to express their thoughts and opinions.
The restaurant has faced a backlash of negative comments – including from people who had never visited it and who didn’t even live anywhere near Macclesfield. This included comments like ‘Enjoy moral bankruptcy’ and ‘How many animals do you think deserve to die so your business can succeed?’.
Other customers who were not in support of the decision expressed their disappointment saying: “I can’t help but feel that you’d be best served by sticking to your morals and instead diversify in other ways beyond food / drink.”
As well as ‘You should work on advertising your vegan options to non-vegans to open up your market as opposed to selling death and cruelty’ and ‘Responsibly-sourced, ethical meat and dairy is an oxymoron, I’m afraid.”
In the face of negativity Mr Norouzina decided to explain further to his customers why he had come to the difficult decision, as he wrote in a post how on a daily basis, the restaurant witnesses ‘people walking into Nomas Gastrobar seeing the vegan menu/offering and then walking out. Or even saying ‘Is it all vegan’ and then leaving’.
He continued: “We are on every delivery platform, we offer private catering and an event space.
“Our drinks menu prices have stayed the same since 2021. Our suppliers have increased their prices, as have our competitors yet we wanted our drinks to be accessible and to keep people coming back.
“We currently have several deals running to try and encourage more people to visit, yet we haven’t seen a change. We have introduced new products like our pinsa’s after receiving feedback from customers and still not seen a change.”
In response to some followers who wanted to know if there was another option for his business, he added: “In answer to comments like ‘Is there no other way’, we promise, we have explored so many avenues.
“When the new menu does happen, the majority of it will still be vegan. There will be a few meat alternatives for those who would prefer them.
“We’ve seen a few comments like ‘I was planning to visit but now I won’t’. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean a lot. Right now we are not taking enough money to pay our wonderful team’s wages or rent to our landlord, people’s thoughts on visiting don’t help us pay these bills.
“We’ve found it pretty astonishing some of the nastiness in the comments. We have made this choice out of a place of survival for our family-run business and seeing people who are meant to ‘love all beings’ being awful to each other has really been upsetting.
“We’re living in a climate where well-established plant-based businesses are closing. We moved to this county 6 years ago and this business is our only source of income, we need to make it work and therefore have to try whatever we can.”
Meanwhile, many customers who are regulars at the eatery or live close by in the Macclesfield area showed Mr Norouznia their support and understanding, as one said: “Keep going. I came for the first time on Saturday.
“It was an added bonus that you had vegan options and I think as long as you keep this focus, alongside the other choices, then this is fine. Keep what you are known for but no issue to add to this.”
Another local and supportive commenter said: “I’m assuming the people making criticisms and nasty comments never eat anywhere but vegan restaurants then??? I doubt it.
“Nomas is stand alone amazing and I hope everyone continues to support this wonderful place.”
Mr Norouznia thank his loyal customers who had supported his business since it first opened almost four years ago, saying: “Thank you to every single person who visited this year, it was great seeing you and we’re really looking forward to seeing you again!”
If you haven’t visited Nomas Gastro Bar yet and would like to support your local business, it offers a delightful variety of vegan mediterranean dishes and is located at 34 Chestergate, Macclesfield.
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Stagecoach hiring over 100 new bus drivers for Bee Network with £31k salaries
Fancy a career change?
Stagecoach Manchester is hiring over 100 new bus drivers to work from its Oldham depot, following the second phase of the Bee Network launch in March.
You can apply for a range of roles, from positions with no experience required to fully qualified bus drivers.
Successful applicants will receive full training as part of the job, and trainees will get paid to train. Then after only 12 months’ service at Stagecoach, drivers can expect to earn up to £16 per hour, which equates to £31.6K per year, before overtime.
As well as that, drivers that already hold a PCV licence may be eligible to receive a £1,200 joining bonus.
Stagecoach
There’s also a host of other benefits available to all Stagecoach employees, like 28 days paid holiday, generous pension and free Stagecoach bus travel for successful applicants and a companion.
Rob Jones, Managing Director at Stagecoach Manchester said: “Expanding our offering in Oldham means we’ll be investing more in the economy and supporting our local community, as well as strengthening our workforce.
“Whether you’re looking for a career change or you’re a fully qualified, experienced bus driver, there’s a role for everyone here in Oldham.
“We’re looking for personable and dedicated drivers who are ready to help us build on the success of the Bee Network and connect the people of Oldham and Greater Manchester with the places and people that are important to them.”
Stagecoach
Phil Cornwall, bus driver at Stagecoach Manchester, said: “I’ve been a driver at Stagecoach for 25 years and I couldn’t recommend it more.
“From the perks to the people to the passengers, it really is a great place to work.”
To apply, head to the Stagecoach website HERE.
Two men have now been charged with murder, following the discovery of a human torso in Kersal Dale.
As well as that, more suspected human remains were also discovered this morning, Monday April 29th, in an alleyway close to the railway lines off Worsley Road, Eccles.
This follows earlier discoveries of human remains over the past three weeks, at Kersal Dale, Blackleach Reservoir and Colliery Wood, all in Salford.
Greater Manchester Police
Michal Jaroslaw Polchowski (25/04/1956) and Marcin Majerkiewicz (10/04/1982) both of Worsley Road, Eccles, have been charged with murder.
They are set to appear at Tameside Magistrates Court this afternoon.
While formal identification is still ongoing, the remains found at Kersal Dale are believed to be of a local man in his 60s. The remains found at the other three locations are still to be tested, but police are confident they belong to the same victim.
ACC Sarah Jackson said: “We have had large numbers of officers, staff and specialists working diligently on this investigation over the last three weeks. It has been very much a large, collective effort, with the victim and family at the heart of it from the outset.
“We have specially trained officers deployed to support the family as they come to terms with this tragic news. They are aware of this morning’s further discovery and will continue to be kept up to date with how we are progressing.
“Despite the charges brought today, our work is far from over.
“The scenes we already have established in Bury and Salford will remain in place for much of this week whilst our searches and enquiries continue. Local officers will continue to patrol the impacted areas to provide reassurance.
“We will continue following every line of enquiry to recover and reunite the victim with his family, bringing a dignified end to this terrible scenario.
“I’d like to thank the communities of Salford and beyond for their cooperation throughout this investigation. I know this incident has come as a shock, and the support we’ve had from those in the area is very much appreciated.”
News
More human remains discovered in Greater Manchester as police identify victim
All the latest updates
Detectives investigating the discovery of a torso in Kersal Dale have found more human remains around Greater Manchester.
GMP released a statement on the weekend, revealing they had opened four scenes for extensive searches – one of them at a warehouse in Bury, and three in Salford.
Searches took place at Blackleach reservoir, where human remains were found, and a dog walker found a package containing human remains at Colliery Wood.
Officers believe they have now identified the man, who they believe to be a man in his 60s that lived in Salford, and his family have been informed.
Two suspects have already been arrested in connection with the murder probe, with officers saying they are thought to have lived with the victim.
Greater Manchester Police / Facebook
Detective Superintendent Lewis Hughes, Senior Investigating Officer for this investigation, said in a statement at Blackleach reservoir yesterday, Sunday April 28th: “We have continued to make significant progress in our investigation into human remains being found in Kersal earlier this month.
“From day one, our priority has been to identify the man and his family so that we can give them the support and the answers that they need.
“Thanks to meticulous forensic work, we are now confident we have identified the man. Formal identification hasn’t yet taken place, but we believe he is a man in his 60s and lived in Salford.
“Specially-trained family liaison officers have met with his family this afternoon to give them the devastating news, and we will do all that we can to support them at this awful time.
“We believe he is known to the two suspects we have in custody. They have remained in custody for questioning over the weekend, as we work to establish how the victim met this tragic outcome.”
He continued: “We have painstakingly worked to follow up every line of inquiry in this investigation. Over the last couple of days, we have acted on information and had four scenes in place for extensive searches – one of them is at a warehouse in Bury, and three of them are in Salford, including here at Blackleach reservoir.
“Today, we have found some human remains at the reservoir here, and last night a dog walker found a package containing human remains at Colliery Wood. Forensic tests will continue to establish whose remains these are, but we are very confident that this is also the victim in our investigation.
“We have also been searching a house in Winton where we believe the victim and the two suspects lived. We have found evidence that the victim is likely to have died there – most likely in late March.
“While this is significant progress, we know there is still some way to go to complete this investigation. I also recognise details of this case will have been distressing for the people of Salford and beyond – including the officers that are diligently working on this investigation, and most importantly the man’s heartbroken family.
“Local officers will continue to patrol the affected areas, and we will provide updates when we have more information.”
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