clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Toronto Restaurant Tries, Fails, to Riff on Donald Trump Leaked Tape

New, 1 comment

The backlash was almost immediate

Shutterstock

Wince: Toronto-based Mexican restaurant La Carnita was, apparently, trying to be funny when it posted a photo to Instagram with the caption: “What if Donald said, ‘grab her by the taco...’” beneath a photo of tacos. Not everyone was amused.

The problem, of course, is that the caption riffs on the now-infamous leaked tape that recorded Donald Trump, the current Republican Presidential nominee boasting, “When you’re a star... you can do anything [to women]. Grab 'em by the pussy."

Here’s the Instagram post in question:

Trump has since offered a lackluster apology and repeatedly said his comments were merely “locker room talk.” But he has also failed to acknowledge that the remarks amount to sexual assault, and at least one of his campaign surrogates has since joked about them. It appears La Carnita, which is operated by Andrew Richmond, found the comments funny enough to use as a social media strategy. Unsurprisingly, the move hasn’t paid off.

The restaurant has since deleted the photo and apologized for the caption in a series of posts to Twitter:

Not everyone is impressed with the apology, though.

As many Facebook commenters have pointed out, this isn’t the first time La Carnita has been responsible for questionable social media messaging.

In the past, the restaurant has used hashtags like #tacHOES in reference to NFL cheerleaders (the social media manager managed to misspell the word “pursue” in the same tweet):

La Carnita has also referred to some of its dishes as “white people seafood:”

La Carnita’s many questionable choices go beyond social media. Some exist inside the restaurant. According to one Twitter user, the restaurant’s bathroom signs — which have since been replaced — once depicted a man peeking over the stall at a woman:

On Wednesday, La Carnita addressed the controversy on Facebook, saying it was in the process of implementing sensitivity training for management and would be donating a percentage of food sales to a Canadian charity that works to stop violence and empower women:

Hi all, I wanted to personally address the concerns that have been raised about our company values. This isn't who we...

Posted by La Carnita on Wednesday, October 12, 2016

All Scandals and Feuds Coverage [E]

Sign up for the Sign up for the Eater newsletter

The freshest news from the food world every day