The owner of Gross’ Burgers is not backing down over a bumper sticker displayed at the restaurant despite a wave of social media criticism that it is anti-Arab. The bumper sticker, pointing to “Allahu Akbar” written in Arabic, reads: “If you can’t read this, thank a Marine.”
The bumper sticker went viral after Sam Schnelle posted a Facebook picture of the sticker hanging at the Illinois restaurant, captioning the photo with “F*ck Grossburgers. Absolutely disgusting.”
“Just called Grossburgers. I asked them to take the sign down and asked to speak to the owner,” Schnelle followed up in another post. “They then handed the phone to the manager who said ‘We are most certainly not taking it down. YOU PEOPLE are too sensitive now a days.’ And then proceeded to argue with whatever recommendations/points I made and then hung up on me. Nice.”
She then posted a message reportedly from a Marine, who said there’s “nothing honorable” about the sticker’s message.
The owner told WCIA the sticker was not meant to be offensive and was placed by a veteran.
“The bumper sticker has been in my restaurant for more than a decade from a Marine that served in Iraq. He brought it in and asked me to put it up, and I said sure go ahead and put it up and it’s been there for all these years,” he said.
The owner, Brad Gross, also told Fox News he employs several Marines: “I can’t thank them enough.”
On the restaurant’s Facebook page, there are mixed reactions, with some people showing their support by eating at the establishment.
