jack astors

Vegans not happy with latest Jack Astor's ad campaign

Jack Astor’s has never exactly been known for its sensitivity, but their latest flub is being called a new low by vegans.

A current billboard advertising menu item “The Boss Hogg Burger” jokingly calls the sandwich with cheese, jalapeno cheddar sausage and bacon “vegan rehabilitation.”

As vegans are a particularly vocal activist group, the campaign is likely looking to get a taste of a little free advertising. Boss Hogg is the fictional greedy commissioner of Hazzard County from Dukes of Hazzard, falling in line with typical in-your-face Jack Astor’s branding.

Even if the campaign is meant to stir up viral free advertising, it’s actually winding up alienating any vegan customers Jack Astor’s might have. It also seems particularly tone deaf of the boozy venue to put the word “rehabilitation” next to a burger topped with beer-marinated onions, pictured with a huge glass of beer.

It’s also probably not smart to mention the v-word just a few years after Jack Astor’s employees at a London location dumped cold water, hot water and vinegar on vegan protestors from a rooftop patio Medieval-style. 

This is another recent stumbling block in relations between vegans and Toronto restaurants.

Just recently a woman was hospitalized after ingesting dairy at one of Toronto’s most visible and controversial vegan restaurants, and local A&W locations were unexpectedly unable to provide their popular new Beyond Meat burger for a period.

Lead photo by

Jask Astor's


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in Eat & Drink

Here's what's opening in the old Brickworks Ciderhouse space in Toronto

Food prices are so high that many Canadians are eating stuff past best-before dates

Huge lineup of people looking to apply at restaurant shows reality of Toronto job market

One of Toronto's most-hyped steakhouses will be leaving longtime location

Grocery store is permanently closing all Toronto locations

Family compares cost of a week's worth of groceries in Malaysia vs. Canada

Someone released a 'Steal from Loblaws Day' song and people have mixed reactions

This is how Toronto complained about grocery monopolies in the 1800s