Lucky you didn't eat it. Food made me sick-- twice. That manager is a joke.

Oh sorry to hear that. Yeah, this is the kind of establishment where the owner is not even vegan doesn’t believe in the plant based movement. He’s clearly in it for the money. Cashing in on the movement the same way companies raise pride flags for June, but pay money to pass anti pride laws. Gross.

Exactly. He laughed at me when I asked if he was vegan, and I said why is that funny? Are we a joke to you? He said none of the people working there were vegan. I said it shows. And then said are you muslim? How would you like your halal food prepared by an anti-muslim? And he smiled obsequiously and kept on grinning like an idiot.

Gross. Vegan or not, places like this shouldn’t be supported. I wish they would close. There are other businesses in Dahab offering kindness and in which the owners really are vegan. Less variety, but wholesome and welcoming.

Hi, Huraiquire!

Since I read your first review I felt very sorry you have had such a bad experience at The Vegan Lab. I'm Elen Czar, the founder, and owner of The Vegan Lab. Back then I didn't get in touch to try to make things up because the experience you described seemed unacceptable and I didn't know exactly how to fix it/felt embarrassed. However, back then I immediately did get in touch with my team and found out that some claims made in the review below never happened. Below is your review:

"After two wrong orders specifying my allergies and an argument with the manager who kept saying there’s no chilli even with the words chilli written on the bottle, we ended up having to call the police for a dispute because I literally couldn’t eat the food and the manager insisted it was my fault and ordered me to pay."

There were no police at all on that day. We have the whole argument caught on the security camera and although the manager did not handle the situation with your wrong order as he should, it was offered for you to not pay. I don't think what happened was acceptable, and I'm not here to take any side. I just think your review says half of the truth and it's unfair. As this manager was, later on, fired I didn't take any measurements in questioning this review.

As for your review update, I couldn't let pass and ended up reporting it. I've been vegan for over 8 years, it's all over my social media and The Vegan Lab was created by a need when I moved to Dahab a few years ago. Back then there was nothing that I perceived as "decent" for vegans to eat out. Apart from being vegan, I'm a very picky eater.

My team is in fact not vegan. It was my bad not to take into consideration that a client could get hurt or offended because the people preparing their food does not share the same beliefs. I apologize for it. I'm not sure where this idea came from because I never mentioned or claimed to have a vegan team. But since The Vegan Lab is a fully vegan restaurant, I can fully understand your disappointment.

Fortunately, at The Vegan Lab, we don't discriminate against people. I'm all about teaching my restaurant standards and the wonders of vegan cuisine to anyone with the right skills and will to learn.

As for your statement: "The owner and staff are not vegan and laugh at vegans, mocking them. They are proudly in business to cash in on our movement and are not for kindness at all."

I feel sorry and sad because these couldn't be any farther from the truth and seems to be only based on your personal opinion without any actual proof or even facts.

We do serve imported items. I apologize if you believe it's not ethical and will consider it for our next menu. Still, The Vegan Lab menu is 100% vegan and there was never a risk of any kind of cross-contamination with animal-based products because not only I'm paranoid but I also respect the health and choices of our clients deeply.

If you still have any concerns, please get in touch.

BR,
Elen Czar.

Elen, thanks for your explanation. The manager called the police himself and didn’t allow me to walk out. I sat down and said “call them then. I would also like to speak with them” and someone did arrive claiming to be police. I might have taken a picture and posted it on my social media. I can absolutely pull up evidence if needed. I was made to pay half the bill in the end as the manager didn’t accept that I pay nothing and could pull up my credit card statement if I was allowed to pay with card, but I remember the manager refused and only accepted cash. Anyways, gaslighting as part of your apology kind of makes the apology invalid, no? Plus, there are other reviews claiming similar experiences. Is it just my person experience, or the experience of several? I understand there are two sides of the story, but arguing about allergies and food isn’t something I would lie about, as I have nothing to gain. It’s the same as someone being raped. Sure less than .01% people may lie, but it’s such a hassle, traumatic, embarrassing… I mean our energy is better used in elevating our movement; not putting down the few places that don’t serve us. I’m glad the guy was fired, and it’s not that the staff must be vegan, but they do have to be kind. Laughing at vegans at a vegan establishment is unacceptable. I’m not upset because the staff is not vegan; I’m upset because they verbally and emotionally abuse their customers. Also, I’m my country, if you serve me something I directly say I’m allergic to, not only could I sue for medical damages, but the business would close and the staff would be tried for attempted murder, as I mentioned it clearly and there was a whole discussion about it. I think a bad review and a monetary loss is just the least that can be done. It took you a year to respond because you were embarrassed, and I empathise with that. Still, your silence was loud in that time and did quite some damage. Thank you for reaching out now though.

I can post the pictures here of the incident and the cop. They’re on my phone still, though I think that would hurt your business even more and I’m not really looking for revenge. If you need proof, I have it, though I don’t see what good it would do you. I don’t need to be believed or validated, but I do think that it’s important to know the facts and to train your staff (as you said you’re doing) about how to handle these situations. Escalating to police is traumatic for people who are not light skinned and people with female bodies as we come from countries with police brutality. You better believe we Always Film the Police. Using the “I’ll call the cops on you” bs is an intimidation tactic and as I’m privileged enough to have a strong passport, I said bring it on. Some people are not brave enough to stand for their rights and risk it. I was livid.

I have updated the review to reflect your position as the owner being vegan and to remove the part for imported items because I understand you’re working on it and it’s not the highlight of my negative experience. Talking about the experience itself is still triggering, so excuse me for the messy replies. I’m sure you can understand the trauma and triggers around such an experience and the fact that I did still have to pay for it- an injustice. As an activist, injustices really activate my nervous system.

Absolutely, 100% the manager laughed at me when I asked him if he was vegan and I asked why is that funny to you? And he said because none of them were vegan and only one of the owners were vegan. Laughing at this question is proof the manager not only finds veganism unnecessary but the prospect of their own adherence to it-- Absurd. Discrimination is when you are prejudiced against someone for something they do not control. Nobody is born without the ability to stop perpetrating violence against animals. I would seriously reconsider if the owner of this business is in fact vegan if they would say something as injurious to animals that not choosing to hire only vegans was discrimination. How sad (for animals) and the vegans seeking to protect them and boycott financing those who intentionally harm them-- your employees.

I got food poisoning twice when I ate here, the upstairs kitchen when I peeked in was so dirty and disgusting that as a chef, I was shocked. The owner of this place seems not only not to be an inauthentic vegan but also keen on lying to backup their operational mistakes. Gross.