On Earth Day, the chef owner of a popular vegan restaurant in Los Angeles announced her eatery would no longer just serve plant-based cuisine. It would also serve meat and dairy. LA Times food writer Stephanie Breijo joined Lisa McRee on "LA Times Today" to explain why and how the change at Sage Vegan Bistro has rocked the Southland's vegan community. 

Mollie Engelhart founded Sage Vegan Bistro in 2011. It has now been rebranded as Sage Regenerative Kitchen & Brewery since the menu will now feature both vegan and non-vegan items. Breijo explained the reasoning for the change.  

"This isn't just a change in her beliefs around meat, but she wants to promote regenerative farming... She now has a ranch in Texas, where she primarily lives with her husband and their children. And she's been practicing these sort of regenerative soil techniques and raising and herding in ways that she feels are potentially better for the environment. And so amid this whole change of offering not just meat and dairy, there's this underlying current of she believes that what she is doing is going to proselytize regenerative farming, which some people also have an issue with," Breijo said. 

Breijo explained that Engelhart's decision to include animal byproducts on her menus also was spurred by financial pressures.

"Sage, as well as so many restaurants in LA and far, far beyond LA, have been struggling ever since the pandemic.... Engelhart told me for this piece that prior to the pandemic, her three locations were picking up, around $7 million in revenue annually. She hasn't seen a profitable restaurant since the pandemic, so it's been a tough road for her," Breijo shared.

Still, the backlash on social media to Engelhart's announcement was swift and punishing. But, Breijo said, the menu changes will still take effect on May 29. 

"They're going to affect the original Echo Park location. They're going to affect the Culver City to-go location. They'll also be taking effect at her Pasadena brewpub. So that means there's going to be bison meat and beef burgers from regenerative partner farms and carne asada. And you're going to be able to add eggs to grain bowls and other items that are preexisting. They're going to be adding dairy-based pizza to the menu as well," Breijo said.

Watch the full interview above.

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