Bar Owner Apologizes For Sign Supporting Domestic Violence
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Lincoln Square bar owner was apologizing after one of his bartenders posted a sign supporting domestic violence, creating an uproar on social media.
On Friday, a bartender at Gio's Bar and Grill, 4857 N. Damen Av., wrote on the bar's chalkboard specials sign: "I like my beer like I like my violence … domestic." Customers took photos of the sign and posted them on Twitter, prompting complaints on Twitter, Facebook, and Yelp.
Gio's owner Humberto Camacho said he reprimanded the bartender. He denied a report by DNAinfo Chicago that the female bartender had been fired. He said he chose to reprimand the bartender, not fire her.
"She was trying to promote one of the local beers. It's a domestic beer. Obviously the words that she chose were not appropriate, and for that reason I would like to sincerely apologize," Camacho said.
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Camacho said he didn't learn of the sign until Saturday, when he read reviews on Yelp and Facebook.
"It was supposed to be something humorous, which obviously went terribly wrong. This is an isolated incident. It's never happened before, and it's never going to happen again," he said.
The bar also posted an apology on its Facebook page.
"I would like to sincerely apologize for the extremely poor taste on the specials board outside of our establishment today. I can assure you it will never happen again and it does not reflect the views of Gio's, the owner, or it's employees. Again, I sincerely apologize and it will never happen again. I will take corrective actions to ensure that I approve what is written on the board before it is publicly displayed. I hope that you will accept my apologies. Thank You."
From now on, Camacho will personally approve all specials signs for the bar. He also planned to host a fundraiser for a shelter for victims of domestic violence.
