A months-long protest campaign targeting Le Coin restaurant in Upper Fremont over foie gras has drawn numerous noise complaints from neighbors and repeated police responses.
On Jan. 24, animal rights activist Autumn stood outside the French bistro with a megaphone and signs accusing owner Jordan Melnikoff of animal torture. Seattle Police responded after neighbors complained about the noise level, and officers asked the protester to lower the volume. The megaphone could be heard blocks away.
Autumn, who declined to provide her last name, said she and a partner arrived in Seattle in December after organizing a similar campaign in Spokane. They’re targeting three Seattle restaurants that serve foie gras, including Le Coin, Violet, and Maximilien at Pike Place Market.
Foie gras – French for “fatty liver” – is produced by force-feeding ducks or geese to enlarge their livers. The practice, which has been banned in California and New York City, involves inserting a tube down the bird’s throat and pumping in grain. Animal welfare advocates say the process is cruel and causes suffering, while defenders argue it’s part of French culinary tradition and that the birds don’t experience distress the same way humans would. Some chefs and food writers, including Seattle-based chef and New York Times columnist J. Kenji López-Alt and the late Anthony Bourdain, have argued that ducks’ unique anatomy makes the process less harmful than it appears to humans, though animal welfare groups strongly dispute this.
Autumn said she prefers protesting at business owners’ homes because “it’s a lot more chill,” and showed passersby graphic videos of force-feeding practices at La Belle Farm in New York, which supplies foie gras to Le Coin and other restaurants nationwide.
The protests have occurred numerous times since December, prompting numerous 911 calls from neighbors, according to Melnikoff. The repeated demonstrations are affecting other businesses on the block. The owner of a nearby gelato shop called police and said the protests are disrupting his business as well. A Fremont neighbor attempting to speak with the protester about noise disturbing her dog said the protester refused to engage
Melnikoff, who has owned Le Coin for seven and a half years, said he has no plans to remove foie gras from his menu, where it remains a popular item among customers.
“We’re a French restaurant. We serve French things,” Melnikoff said. “For me, it’s like the ultimate form of privilege for someone else to try to dictate what I’m going to do lawfully within my own business.”
While Melnikoff said he supports the right to protest, he objects to what he views as harassment tactics, including the use of amplified megaphones and personal targeting that he says crosses the line from legitimate protest.
The dispute has escalated beyond words. In December, Melnikoff used leaf blowers on the protesters. The incident illustrates how the prolonged conflict is intensifying on both sides.
Autumn said her group successfully convinced Spokane restaurants to stop serving foie gras, though she clarified that restaurants voluntarily removed it rather than the product being banned.
For Melnikoff, the sustained protests come at a challenging time for Seattle’s independent restaurants. Rising costs, increased minimum wages, and other financial pressures have made operating small restaurants increasingly difficult.
“The margins every year get worse and worse,” Melnikoff said. “This is a labor of love. I don’t do this to make a lot of money.”
The prolonged demonstrations outside his door add another layer of stress for his staff and regular customers, he said.
For now, neither side shows signs of backing down. Autumn said she plans to continue protesting, and Melnikoff said he won’t change his menu.