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Ouch.
Lime Fresh Mexican Grill, a chain based in Miami, with locations in Florida and Huntsville, Alabama, created a grand opening banner reading, “So authentically Mexican we couldn’t open a store in Arizona. So we came here instead.”
According to a reddit post, the banner was spotted at a new location in Orlando, Florida.
Given the banner’s obvious reference to Arizona’s SB1070 law, I called the Lime’s corporate office this morning for a statement.
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After an initial phone call to the corporate office, I spoke to a representative from Lime’s public relations agency in New York, who sent this e-mail response from John Kunkel, CEO and founder of Lime Fresh Mexican Grill:
“If you look at the Lime brand persona, everything we do is lighthearted and fun. We know this is a serious issue and certainly don’t mean to offend anyone. We love Arizona and would love to open a Lime there soon!”
What say you, readers? Harmless fun or poor judgment?
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