Controversial Aussie chef doubles down after backlash over shocking gang rape comment and fresh swipe at vegans

By MATT JONES, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 06:35, 24 April 2026 | Updated: 06:35, 24 April 2026 Controversial Perth chef John Mountain has doubled down after lashing out at vegans using the term 'gang rape' to describe a busy upcoming night in his kitchen. Mr Mountain, who owns Fyre Bar & Restaurant, was preparing for a busy Friday service when he said in a now-deleted video: 'Everybody is coming on Friday, oh my God, we're going to get gang raped on Friday. 'Saturday is looking good, and we look forward to seeing you then. Don't forget, be square or be vegan. Don't be either, f*** vegans,' he continued. After a social media follower questioned the remarks, Mountain replied: 'Nine out of ten people agree w gang rape.' That comment was also later deleted. The remarks sparked widespread backlash online, including from journalist Sherele Moody, who is known for her work on violence against women. 'Don't you love when business owners use "gang rape" in their marketing plan?' Ms Moody said. 'He says he has so many bookings this Friday that he's going to be "gang raped"... he doubled the f*** down with "nine out of 10 people agree w gang rape".' Chef John Mountain has apologised for using the term 'gang rape' Mr Mountain later expressed remorse in comments to PerthNow, saying: 'There's nothing f****g funny about rape at all in any way, shape, or form.' 'Sadly, and stupidly, I said one wrong thing that was then taken out of context, and it's just made me look like a complete and utter dick,' Mr Mountain said. 'I genuinely apologise. I genuinely fg do. I don't say s to offend people. Sometimes stupid jokes come out, and it's just wrong. 'I'm sorry. I genuinely didn't mean for anybody to be offended by that. Please accept my apologies.' Mr Mountain also said he felt sorry for women who had been subjected to rape and that he did not support gang rape. Despite the apology, he later posted another video that appeared to mock complaints about his language, and said the controversy had been good for business. Mr Mountain owns Perth's Fyre Bar & Restaurant in Connolly The chef was previously involved in a dispute with vegan activist Tash Peterson Mr Mountain is not a fan of vegans  'Look, I've been through a lot of s*** before and I don't mind going through it again because it elevated our business and now it's a bit upsetting to an extent but get f****d,' he said. 'All you one-star reviews. I really don't give a s***. It was supposed to be humour. If you don't get humour, wrap yourself up in a blanket, drink hot chocolate and go to bed early. The chef was previously involved in a public dispute with vegan activist Tash Peterson in 2023 when he said all vegans would be banned from his restaurant.  Mr Mountain even sought a Violence Restraining Order against Ms Peterson after she hosted a number of protests at his restaurant.  'I'm not against vegans in any way shape or form, I think they're all beautiful people,' Mr Mountain said at the time. 'It's just when they behave like a**holes.' Daily Mail contacted Mountain for comment. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.