Racial hoax causes PR headache for McDonald’s

[웃 910]

Racial hoax causes PR headache for McDonald’s

An online hoax that falsely suggests McDonald's discriminates against African-American customers is causing a PR headache for the Golden Arches.

Over the weekend, the photograph above circulated widely on the internet. The image shows what looks like an official McDonald's notice in the window of a restaurant, telling customers that blacks will be charged $1.50 extra "as an insurance measure due in part to a recent string of robberies."

Many internet users retweeted the photo, using the words "Seriously McDonald's," to express their disapproval of the burger chain.

In response, McDonald's sent a tweet of its own on Saturday: "That pic is a senseless & ignorant hoax McD's values ALL our customers. Diversity runs deep in our culture on both sides of the counter."

But that clearly wasn't enough to clear things up, because Twitter users continued to send out the picture, with that same message of condemnation: "Seriously McDonald's." Indeed, so many people sent "Seriously McDonald's" Tweets that the phrase became a leading entry on Twitter's trend list.

That led to a second, blunter McTweet, on Sunday: "That Seriously McDonalds picture is a hoax."

The latest pushback effort seems to have helped keep the photo from spreading too much further--but there's no telling how many people out there still think the photo is for real.

This is hardly the only recent barrage of negative publicity for the burger behemoth--some of it more justified. McDonalds CEO Jim Skinner recently was forced to defend the company's renewed use of the Ronald McDonald mascot to appeal to children, after critics said the restaurant's fat-laden burgers and fries endanger kids' health.

It's not clear who created the hoax image. It appears to have first showed up on the popular 4chan message board, and it was posted last year on an anti-McDonald's blog.

But there's no doubt it's fake. As some Twitter users have pointed out, the toll-free number given at the bottom of the sign is actually the number for ... Kentucky Fried Chicken.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110613/us_yblog_thelookout/racial-hoax-causes-pr-headache-for-mcdonalds

[Sc0tt28 26]

Racial hoax causes PR headache for McDonald’s

An online hoax that falsely suggests McDonald's discriminates against African-American customers is causing a PR headache for the Golden Arches.

Over the weekend, the photograph above circulated widely on the internet. The image shows what looks like an official McDonald's notice in the window of a restaurant, telling customers that blacks will be charged $1.50 extra "as an insurance measure due in part to a recent string of robberies."

Many internet users retweeted the photo, using the words "Seriously McDonald's," to express their disapproval of the burger chain.

In response, McDonald's sent a tweet of its own on Saturday: "That pic is a senseless & ignorant hoax McD's values ALL our customers. Diversity runs deep in our culture on both sides of the counter."

But that clearly wasn't enough to clear things up, because Twitter users continued to send out the picture, with that same message of condemnation: "Seriously McDonald's." Indeed, so many people sent "Seriously McDonald's" Tweets that the phrase became a leading entry on Twitter's trend list.

That led to a second, blunter McTweet, on Sunday: "That Seriously McDonalds picture is a hoax."

The latest pushback effort seems to have helped keep the photo from spreading too much further--but there's no telling how many people out there still think the photo is for real.

This is hardly the only recent barrage of negative publicity for the burger behemoth--some of it more justified. McDonalds CEO Jim Skinner recently was forced to defend the company's renewed use of the Ronald McDonald mascot to appeal to children, after critics said the restaurant's fat-laden burgers and fries endanger kids' health.

It's not clear who created the hoax image. It appears to have first showed up on the popular 4chan message board, and it was posted last year on an anti-McDonald's blog.

But there's no doubt it's fake. As some Twitter users have pointed out, the toll-free number given at the bottom of the sign is actually the number for ... Kentucky Fried Chicken.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110613/us_yblog_thelookout/racial-hoax-causes-pr-headache-for-mcdonalds

If the shoe fits...

[slim 1,530]

McDonald's already has blatantly racist commercials. They don't need signs too.

Regardless... EVERYONE will still eat there!

[ScottThuy 140]

McDonald's already has blatantly racist commercials. They don't need signs too.

Regardless... EVERYONE will still eat there!

+1

[The Dude 206]

The people who thought that the sign was real are derps. Does any rational person actually believe a multinational corporation would jeopardize it's margins with a blatantly racist sign like that?

[ScottThuy 140]

Overcompensating?

[Ban Hammer 13,491]

The people who thought that the sign was real are derps. Does any rational person actually believe a multinational corporation would jeopardize it's margins with a blatantly racist sign like that?

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

I recall that when IHOP finally came to Harlem, customers were required to show a stamped receipt showing the bill had been paid before they were allowed to leave the restaurant,. I believe this was not the case at any other IHOP at the time, although I could be wrong.

[The Dude 206]

I don't see what point your trying to make Charles. I get the implication of 'Sambo', but that is neither a multinational corporate chain, nor is there any context to the name of that restaurant.

[Nina~ 431]

Wasn't it Denny's that was sued for requiring African American customers to pay up front before being seated, or something like that?

[slim 1,530]

Can you explain to the rest of us (who forgot Wal-Mart's troubles already) what a Sambo is?

I recall that when IHOP finally came to Harlem, customers were required to show a stamped receipt showing the bill had been paid before they were allowed to leave the restaurant,. I believe this was not the case at any other IHOP at the time, although I could be wrong.

Racist.

[ScottThuy 140]

Wasn't it Denny's that was sued for requiring African American customers to pay up front before being seated, or something like that?

preferential seating for the Whites... too busy for the Blacks to get seated...

[Ban Hammer 13,491]

I don't see what point your trying to make Charles. I get the implication of 'Sambo', but that is neither a multinational corporate chain, nor is there any context to the name of that restaurant.

ah right, you're too young to remember:

By 1979, Sambo's had 1,200 outlets in 47 US states. However, in the late-1970s, controversy over the chain's name drew protests and lawsuits in communities that viewed the term Sambo as pejorative towards African-Americans, particularly in the Northeastern states. Several of the restaurants were opened as or renamed to "The Jolly Tiger" in locations where the local community passed resolutions forbidding the use of the original name or refused to grant the chain permits.[1] In March 1981, in a further attempt to give the chain a new image the company again renamed some locations, this time to "No Place Like Sam's".[2] By November 1981, the company filed for bankruptcy.[3] Neither the name change nor bankruptcy protection reversed the downward trend, and in 1982 all but the original Sambo's at 216 West Cabrillo Boulevard in Santa Barbara, California, closed their doors.[4] 618 of the locations were renamed Season's Friendly Eating by February 1983.[5] Several locations were sold to Denny's.[6]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambo%27s

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

Racist.

Agreed. I had a good friend living in Harlem at the time, who was glad to see an IHOP come to the community, as Starbucks had done a few years before, but was seriously disappointed to see this policy instituted. Harlem has been working hard to attract "mainstream" businesses to the neighbourhood, and as far as I know IHOP was the only one to treat its Harlem customers differently than customers in, say, Hamden CT.

Thinking about Harlem, now I really, REALLY want to go to Sylvia's and have some meatloaf, mac and cheese and corn bread. Yum. Better than IHOP any day!

[The Dude 206]

ah right, you're too young to remember:

By 1979, Sambo's had 1,200 outlets in 47 US states. However, in the late-1970s, controversy over the chain's name drew protests and lawsuits in communities that viewed the term Sambo as pejorative towards African-Americans, particularly in the Northeastern states. Several of the restaurants were opened as or renamed to "The Jolly Tiger" in locations where the local community passed resolutions forbidding the use of the original name or refused to grant the chain permits.[1] In March 1981, in a further attempt to give the chain a new image the company again renamed some locations, this time to "No Place Like Sam's".[2] By November 1981, the company filed for bankruptcy.[3] Neither the name change nor bankruptcy protection reversed the downward trend, and in 1982 all but the original Sambo's at 216 West Cabrillo Boulevard in Santa Barbara, California, closed their doors.[4] 618 of the locations were renamed Season's Friendly Eating by February 1983.[5] Several locations were sold to Denny's.[6]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambo%27s

Then a good analogy. Had someone posted that notice in McDonalds, I think McDonalds would be facing the same fate.