Ex-Vegan NYC Bodega Turns Their Back on the Animals
NYC’s once exclusively vegan bodega has just announced they are adding cruelty to the menu and have been responding to concerned vegans with mockery and insults.
New York City is home to over 150 fully vegan restaurants, cafes, food trucks, and more. Staten Island’s first (once) fully vegan bodega, Vodega, opened in 2020. After being closed for the past five months, Vodega announced its re-opening with some disturbing menu changes.
On Monday, March 17th, 2025, Vodega published the following message to their Instagram account:
“VODEGA & FRIENDS!
Expanding Our Kitchen to Foster Inclusivity
As we grow, we recognize the importance of creating a dining experience that welcomes everyone in our community. While our vegan kitchen has been a cornerstone of our mission to promote sustainability and health, we understand that not all members of our community follow a vegan lifestyle. To ensure that everyone feels included and valued, we are excited to introduce a separate non-vegan kitchen alongside our existing vegan offerings.
This expansion allows us to maintain the integrity of our vegan values while accommodating diverse dietary preferences and traditions. By offering both options, we can invite more people to “eat at our table,” fostering a sense of belonging and connection. Whether someone is vegan, vegetarian, or an omnivore, we want them to feel respected and included in our space.
Inclusivity is at the heart of this decision. Food is more than sustenance—it’s a way to bring people together, celebrate diversity, and build community. By expanding our kitchen, we are not only broadening our menu but also opening our doors to a wider audience. This move reflects our commitment to creating a space where everyone, regardless of their dietary choices, can enjoy a meal and feel part of something meaningful.
We believe this step will strengthen our relationships with our community, attract new supporters, and reinforce our mission of inclusivity. Together, we can create a dining experience that celebrates diversity, fosters connection, and ensures that no one feels left out.
See you soon friends!
Don’t worry vegans & plant based enthusiast, you’re still in a safe space. Separate cooking spaces / no commingling / no cross contamination!!!”
This once proudly vegan bodega now caters to carnists in order to bring in more revenue. “This expansion allows us to maintain the integrity of our vegan values;” what values exactly? Introducing violence into a non-violent space completely contradicts any “values” they may have once had. Vegans have voiced their concern and disdain in the comments, leading to the owners removing the ability to comment on the post mentioned above. But that hasn’t stopped animal rights advocates from finding other avenues to express their disappointment. And the response? Let’s just say it’s been less than professional:
As you can see, vegans on Instagram have voiced their complaints about the disgusting choice to add cruelty to a once cruelty-free menu. Every vegan commenter is making fantastic points, like how everyone, regardless of dietary preference, can eat vegan food. With the deli claiming they want to “ensure that no one feels left out,” they don’t realize that in adding cruelty-filled products to their bodega, they are betraying the very community that helped them build their business for the past four years.
The owners also claimed in their announcement that their bodega is still a safe space for vegans and “plant-based enthusiasts.” It seems this bodega owner doesn’t understand veganism. Most importantly, this bodega is no longer a safe space for non-human animals.
After being shocked at the unprofessional and offensive responses from Vodega’s owner (or social media manager), I began to research the bodega some more and found that this unpleasant attitude isn’t new. On Vodega’s Yelp page, any review that isn’t satisfactory is met with a snarky remark and a rude tone of text. Just look at some highlights from their business page:
Perhaps this is a New York way of responding to criticism, but as a Midwestern girl, I could never imagine speaking to someone like that who is simply voicing a valid concern or complaint. Either way, it’s rude, it’s unprofessional, and it’s inappropriate. Perhaps Vodega will face the same fate as Sage Regenerative Kitchen & Brewery.
While further researching this institution, I discovered that the owner of Vodega also owns a skate shop nearby that sells leather apparel. Obviously, this owner has never been vegan for the animals, which made me wonder why they would have a vegan bodega in the first place if they continue to view animals as commodities.
After putting the puzzle pieces together, all signs point to the owners being plant-based for their health, a.k.a. not vegan. This is why veganism is so misunderstood. Veganism is a philosophy (and corresponding lifestyle) that does not view animals as products but instead as individuals—someone rather than something. No vegan would feel comfortable introducing unnecessary and unjustified violence into their business.
While operating as a fully “vegan” restaurant, the bodega also carried Impossible Foods and Just Foods products, which were tested on rats who were later killed and disposed of.
Call to Action:
If you, too, feel betrayed, upset, or disappointed in Vodega’s choice to introduce violence into their once cruelty-free establishment, I encourage you to voice your concerns and criticisms on the platforms listed below.
Please politely email your complaints to their work email, thevodegadeli@gmail.com, or call them at +1-646-822-1026.
Let them know that animals are not products and that bringing cruelty into a once cruelty-free space has consequences.
Last night (3/24/25), the Vodega Instagram posted a photo with a corresponding caption calling concerned vegans “bee-tches.” They also posted a video expressing how “militant vegans” are harmful and make people steer clear of the vegan movement. If someone chooses to continue to engage in violence because they dislike the attitude or approach of those advocating against violence - that’s a really strange hill to die on. What a privilege it is to find those advocating for peace and love towards animals as aggressive.
As of 3/25/25, the Vodega official website still claims to be a fully vegan bodega with no meat or dairy products within the building:
Justice for the non-human animals who will be harmed due to Vodega’s disgusting decision to turn a safe space for vegans and non-human animals into a bodega of cruelty. Perhaps the V in Vodega now stands for violence.