A restaurant in Dallas sparked controversy after serving a message to attendees of the National Rifle Association (NRA) annual convention on its receipts that did not sit well with lobby group, which called for a boycott of the eatery over the weekend. But in the face of the resulting vitriol, the restaurant responded with love.
Ellen's, a restaurant that specializes in Southern dishes, informed customers that part of the week's proceeds would go toward funding "organizations dedicated to implementing reasonable and effective gun regulations." The message, printed on the receipts, was
shown in a photo shared by the official NRA Twitter account.
"Steer clear of Ellen’s in downtown Dallas! Why go there when there are so many other great choices. #sorrynotsorry #StandAndFight #DefendTheSecond," the organization wrote in a Twitter post on Friday, opening day of the three-day meeting where thousands of members gathered to visit gunmakers' stalls, attend workshops and listen to speeches by lawmakers and even
President Donald Trump.
The Twitter post was shared more than 5,000 times, inspiring NRA supporters to trash the restaurant's
Yelp reviews and Facebook page, leaving negative messages underneath past posts, including one showing a profile picture changed in support of the Dallas Police Department
after a shooting on April 24 critically injured two officers.
Joe Groves, owner of Ellen's, told
Buzzfeed News that the restaurant had received death threats. "We’ve had people calling and say they’re going to shoot the place up; one that implied he would be burning us down today. Ridiculous people," he said.
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