/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/51321207/shutterstock_363331676.0.jpg)
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:
Ughhh I was gonna just try and chill tonight but REALLY DUDES?? Wtf is WRONG WITH YOU? pic.twitter.com/XWJdhDVLr0
— Jen Agg (@TheBlackHoof) October 11, 2016
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:
Part 1. Friends + followers,
— La Carnita Ltd. (@la_carnita) October 12, 2016
Tonight, we made a mistake. A big one. We used a caption that was dumb, rude, and insensitive.
Part 2. Once we realized our error, we quickly removed it. For anyone who saw it, know that we understand your anger
— La Carnita Ltd. (@la_carnita) October 12, 2016
Part 3. and fully realize why it was inappropriate. We truly apologize. We can do better, and we will.
— La Carnita Ltd. (@la_carnita) October 12, 2016
Love, la carnita.
Not everyone is impressed with the apology, though.
@la_carnita And you can talk garbage about me in the kitchen, as you continue your "kitchen talk" but I don't care. Because I'm tired of it
— Lori Harito (@LoHo__) October 12, 2016
@la_carnita 'realized our error'? You mean you didn't know trivializing sexual assault was wrong when you posted it?
— barb mcivor (@babsmc) October 12, 2016
@la_carnita I don't get why people know this from the get-go and still choose to post offensive content that perpetuates rape culture.
— Jessica Weingarten (@jessweingarten) October 12, 2016
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):
The Carnita #tacHOES should peruse a career as NFL cheerleaders, don't you think? For those of you who… http://t.co/4GnssV2ifz
— La Carnita Ltd. (@la_carnita) February 2, 2014
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:
Why is no one talking about the washroom signs at the new La Carnita?
— Arati Sharma (@aratisharma) March 11, 2016
@aratisharma for reference pic.twitter.com/Sw00tfNDfz
— Arati Sharma (@aratisharma) March 11, 2016
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
Loading comments...