Denny's Apology Falls Short on Irish Famine Smear
In celebration of 150th anniv. of Irish famine, Denny's offered free pancakes.
March 2, 2010— -- What a mealy-mouthed apology Denny's just issued for their incredible behavior in mocking the victims of the Irish Famine. Here it is:
"Denny's has a history of using humor in its television advertising. It is certainly not the intention of the company to offend anyone or any group and we apologize if this spot has in any way. As a result of the feedback we have received from our customers the spot will no longer be on the air after Tuesday. We thank those who took the time to contact us."
Gee, thanks. Denny's will apologize "if" the ad offended? It offended all right, and it seems utterly incredible that this company does not see fit to issue a decent apology.
This is typical of a company with an appalling record on human rights. They lost a huge lawsuit because of discrimination against African American employees and customers. What they need to say is, "We apologize to the Irish American community for depicting the Irish Famine as some kind of humorous event, when in fact 1 million people died of starvation. We realize that such a tragedy was not proper material in any way for a 'humorous' advertisement."
Let's keep up the pressure on Denny's so they cannot dismiss us so lightly. Earlier an Irish American community leader who has been in touch with Denny's said they are "backpedalling faster than a circus clown" and the company has begun to realize just how wrong-headed the advertisement appeared.
"They are being flooded with calls" he reported. "They have no idea what they have set off here."
The ad ran last week and immediately led to major anger in the Irish American community.
Until they fully explain themselves and make a decent apology, I still believe any Irish American with a trace of pride in their heritage will support a boycott of the Denny's restaurant chain after their disgraceful Irish Famine ad currently running on television.
They had announced that in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the end of the Irish Famine, they would be offering unlimited pancakes for customers. Yes, you read that right.
