A vegan restaurant has closed after its owners claimed they got death threats for banning children under five from coming inside.
Taina and Gary Bartlett openedPlantastic Indy in February but prompted vicious backlash after their edict on Saturday.
They complained too many customers were changing their babies' diapers on tables or breastfeeding in the small 10-table eatery in Indianapolis.
'Gary and I have invested our life savings, carrears (sic), own health, and dreams on hold to accomplish a mission bigger than us. Fight climate change through food,' Tania wrote in a notice across their social media pages.
A vegan restaurant has closed after its owners claimed they got death threats for banning children under five from coming inside. Taina and Gary Bartlett opened Plantastic Indy in February but prompted vicious backlash after their edict on Saturday
The backlash from parents, and many others outraged on their behalf, about the children ban and breastfeeding reference was swift and brutal
'By the grace of God, we have this first and last brick and mortar at the Avenue, super elegant, clean, and neat place to make sure everyone that decides to come feels welcome in our inviting place.
'But sadly, we can no longer welcome toddlers, newborns, or anyone under 5 years old, will be allowed in order to keep up and maintain our sanitary standards.'
'I know many moms will get upset. Do not get upset at us, just at the ones that have come and let dirty diapers on the table and put their breast out in public uncover to feed the child.
'That's no the Plantastic Indy experience we want for the rest of our customers.'
The backlash from parents, and many others outraged on their behalf, about the children ban and breastfeeding reference was swift and brutal.
They banned children under 5, complaining too many customers were changing their babies' diapers on tables or breastfeeding in the small 10-table eatery
Tania deleted the post and put up a video explaining herself and hitting back at her critics, insisting she wasn't anti-breastfeeding.
Her video was combative from the start, telling people who complained 'learn how to read, most of you don't know how to read'.
Tania explained her accent was from the Dominican Republic and hoped there would be no racism in the comments 'because everything now is about illegal racism'.
'I'm not against breastfeeding, for God's sake. What I'm against is dirtiness. I want to eat in a place or an establishment that's clean,' she said.
'Since when it's okay to put a poo on a table? Because that's what a diaper is - it's poo.
'We're vegan, and that's the only milk a human should be consuming while you're a baby is the milk of their mother. What we're against is unsanitary conditions.'
But her video only prompted more anger with hundreds of angry comments on both Facebook and Instagram.
Some of the comments said she should 'go back to where she came from', despite her hope critics would keep racism out of it.
Taina has lived in the US legally for many years along with her husband, who is originally from Montreal.
The couple were engineers in the US until they quit their jobs to openPlantastic.
The restaurant has not reopened since, and calls to its phone number say it is only open for pick up via the back door
Tania said the comments and messages she received included death threats, so they closed the restaurant on Sunday.
'We opened Plantastic Indy out of Love and devotion. But looks like the power of Hate is stronger than the power of Love,' she wrote on the cafe's pages.
The restaurant has not reopened since, and calls to its phone number say it is only open for pick up via the back door.
'A vegan spot being against a baby’s only natural and ethical food source is wild. The disconnect is astounding,' one comment read.
Another wrote: 'If you don’t like kids or want them in your restaurant - BE UPFRONT. Don’t dish out some BS and beat around the bush. But for the love of the universe, do NOT make breastfeeding seem unsanitary or disgraceful.'
A third added: 'You specifically said you didn't want to see a mother feeding with her breast visible. Now, you're lying and gaslighting.'
'We opened Plantastic Indy out of Love and devotion. But looks like the power of Hate is stronger than the power of Love,' she wrote on the cafe's pages
Many commenters argued it was illegal to ban mothers from breastfeeding in a restaurant.
'The irony of trying to call out illegal racism while you try to illegally block breastfeeding,' one wrote in response to Tania's video.
However, though Indiana law states that a woman has the right to breastfeed anywhere she is allowed to be, the restaurant wasn't in breach of it because it was within its rights to ban children.
Businesses can deny service to anyone they want so long as it is not discriminatory, and many have minimum age limits even if they don't sell alcohol.
Other locals said Plantastic's owners had a history of erratic behavior, including random last-minute closures.
'I worked there for two weeks and hated it. I literally walked out mid shift because I couldn’t take the owners c**p anymore,' one wrote.
The restaurant's social media pages have dozens of posts notifying customers that it would be closed the next day.
