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This took way longer than it should have.
"We were wrong" about using the name Crack Fries, posts the chief executive of a Grand Rapids company that owns the HopCat group of restaurants.
Revised menus next month will have a different name, not yet disclosed, for the popular side dish.
► Related: Death of Crack Fries Is a Standup Comedy Invitation on Social Media
A seven-paragraph blog post and one-minute video (below) by Mark Gray, head of BarFly Ventures, acknowledges complaints from patrons, staffers and others:
The "addictive" item to be renamed. (Yelp photo)We chose the name more than 11 years ago as a reference to the addictive quality of the fries and their cracked pepper seasoning, without consideration for those the drug negatively affected. We were wrong.
The crack epidemic and the lasting impact on those it affects is not funny and never was.
As we grow as a company we have come to realize that to make light of this drug and of addiction contradicts our values of inclusion and community. We want to thank our guests, employees and community members who have helped us come to this realization and apologize for the pain the name brought to others. . . .
We are confident in our decision. It is not only the right thing to do, it reflects who we are.
Even with this upcoming name change, we think the hospitality group deserves a nomination for Worst Idea Ever, at least in the food service category.
HopCat, launched in 2008, has 17 locations in nine states -- inlcuding seven in Michigan. Detroit and Royal Oak have branches.
-- Alan Stamm
