Outrage after pub chops Shoulder of Mutton name to please veggies
A PUB has angered regulars by scrapping its Shoulder of Mutton name after nearly 70 years because it does not want to offend vegetarians.
The change was made after pub bosses feared its traditional name might affect plans to include veggie food on the bar menu.
The traditional pub also did not want to upset newlyweds who might be put off holding a reception at a venue with a meat-based name.
Known as the Shoulder of Mutton in Heworth Green, York, since the 1950s, it is now the Heworth Inn.
When one regular said there had been “uproar” after another pub in the city changed its name, landlady Leah Stannard said: “When trying to market a business to a tourist hotel market, it has been shown that the name the Shoulder of Mutton isn’t perceived particularly well.
“As we are going to have a really keen focus on vegetarian and vegan cuisine, we think it is a tasteful, sympathetic and reasonable decision.”
Yesterday she said the pub had become “tired” and due to her investment in the business a bold statement of change was needed.
Shame
But she added: “We also want to have an excellent vegetarian and vegan offering, so found the name slightly compromising of the idea”.
Currently just a quarter of the menu provides a “no meat” option with traditional fare making up the rest.
As for plans to be a licensed wedding venue in 2019, Ms Stannard said: “We imagined that many brides may not want the invites for their big day to be at a place called the Shoulder of Mutton.
“We have taken into account the area’s and the building’s heritage and have consulted various conservation bodies in the area and received warm feedback and support.”
But a customer said: “Shame something like the name of a traditional pub has to change just because somebody doesn’t agree with it. There’s a lot if things I don’t agree with but won’t get changed, so things like a name of a pub with a non-discriminatory name should be left alone.”
Another said: “What rubbish. I’m a vegetarian and changing the name has not made a difference to me.
“Shame a pub with 70 years of history has changed to a boring name. I would have thought people would be more interested in the history of the name and the business. It will always be known locally as the Shoulder.” A drinker who has vowed to take custom elsewhere quipped: “It should have been called Five Minutes. That’s how long it will last.”
But Dominika Piasecka, of the Vegan Society, said: “We’ve heard of a couple of businesses going out of their way to exclude or annoy vegans, so it’s nice to see the opposite happen.”
A Vegetarian Society spokesman said: “A stronger vegetarian and vegan menu is a brilliant idea.”