Why Eleven Madison Park is putting meat back on the menu—even though many people aren’t happy about it

New York’s iconic Eleven Madison Park, the world’s only three Michelin-starred vegan restaurant, announced on Wednesday it is putting meat back on the menu after achieving what most thought was impossible—snagging the first and only coveted three-star Michelin rating for its entirely plant-based haute cuisine in 2022. (That’s something not even the food-loving countries of France and Spain have been able to achieve.)

The restaurant, which was originally opened in 1998 by famed restaurateur Danny Meyer, was purchased by chef Daniel Humm and his partner Will Guidara in 2011. It first earned three Michelin stars in 2012 with a meat-based menu, and retained its Michelin rating in 2022 after it went fully plant-based.

“Over the last five years . . . we’ve also been intently listening to our guests’ feedback. It became clear that while we had built something meaningful, we had also unintentionally kept people out,” chef Daniel Humm said in statement on the restaurant’s website. “This is the opposite of what we believe hospitality to be. The all-or-nothing approach was necessary to develop our expertise, but that too, comes with its own limitations. As a chef I want to continue to open paths, not close them.”

Fast Company has reached out to Eleven Madison Park for further comment.

Starting October 14, Humm said Eleven Madison Park will integrate “our new language into a menu that embraces choice,” both offering the fully plant-based menu, but also adding certain animal product dishes, including “fish, meat, and yes, our honey-lavender-glazed duck.”

Humm told The New York Times the decision was motivated by both financial and hospitality concerns.

Many people have criticized the move to bring back meat, saying a full vegan menu is widely accessible and doesn’t exclude others. On the restaurant’s Facebook page, more than 350 people have commented, many registering their dismay. Those comments range from “you can still reverse this decision” and “everyone can eat vegan food,” to “gross. Just like your morel butter. Now vegans will not feel welcome at the table. Plenty of other fabulous restaurants in NYC though. Let’s all support those.”

However, the plant-based menu will continue to be at the foundation of the restaurant, with plant-based options available for every course, according to the restaurant’s website. The tasting menus will be the same price regardless of one’s selection (the full tasting menu, with eight to nine courses, runs $365 per person). Both the cocktail menu and the pastry program will remain entirely plant-based.