The small town known as New Hope from Pennsylvania is now in a frenzy. This all started when Fred’s Breakfast Club posted a sign for its members-only options in the popular breakfast and brunch spot. The restaurant offers fast passes to those willing to pay $20 each month. But locals are outraged because this nice gesture has been overshadowed by the confusing and offensive information written on the wall sign outside of the establishment. Do you love dogs? Do you love food? Why not combine the two together by visiting The Dog-Friendly, All Animal Eatery! Chris and Denise Bollenbacher are the owners of this restaurant that has a dog theme. They use it to decorate their restaurant with doggy-themed memorabilia, and they even have a tradition of getting dogs to howl “Happy Birthday” for people. The first dog that could do it was named Fred, and he became famous for his talent. The owners even have a section in their restaurant that is exclusively for dogs.
Recently, the restaurant faced backlash after an image of their sign went viral as it was perceived to be a racist joke. The sign drew the attention of one of the guests by the name of Stacey Masters of what had been displayed on the wall, took a picture, and uploaded it on the social media page, making it go viral. The sign was posted on the community’s Facebook page. A day later, Bucks County NAACP president Karen Downer posted the same photo accompanied by a call to action from community members to deviate from promoting racism among themselves. Downer poses an important question to the community after seeing racist jokes at Downers Superette. Upon seeing Downer’s post, community members rallied together in anti-racism groups to express their disappointment in Fred’s Breakfast Club for having the racist joke on its wall. Dog owners everywhere will be able to relate to this clever and comical sign. It is a reminder that we need to take care of our four-legged friends, who oftentimes go neglected in the world of welfare.
After the social media post was made and went viral, Fred’s Breakfast Club responded and said that they were not aware of why this message was displayed on its wall as it has been there for more than a year. The response has made the community members even angrier. The restaurant said that they don’t “condone racism, bullying or cruelty to animals” and that it will take immediate action to remove the offensive joke from their display. It is an unfortunate day when a restaurant that has been in business for decades decides to close its Facebook page. One would think that an emergency caused the closure, but it is due to internet outrage this time. There are many ways for customers to voice their opinions about businesses, and social media websites are just one. A customer had previously posted on Fred’s Breakfast Club’s Facebook page stating her disappointment after receiving poor service from the staff and management at the restaurant.
