Even if it was a nice Italian way of saying ‘picnic’ — the moment watermelon, chicken and other ingredients were displayed on the menu — this had no shot of turning out well.
Victor Guzman, manager of Pizza by Certé, is apologizing for naming a pizza ‘Pic-a-Nika’ — explaining that the pizza was supposed to be a play on how an Italian would pronounce the word “picnic.”
“To the people of New York City and to those who were offended by the sign. And specifically and especially to the Black Community, we are (gravely,deeply, truly) sorry,” the restaurant said in an apology posted to Facebook.
“When we named the pizza “Pic-a-Nika” we disrespected an entire community, perpetuated a hurtful ideology and brought embarrassment to ourselves. In a time and climate when words carry so much change, we chose beyond poorly and cannot erase or ignore the damaging effects it has caused. It’s tough to think that we did something so HURTFUL. We made a shameful mistake. Once again, we are sorry.”
Again, it’s racist, obnoxious and not even remotely shocking in this day in time.
H/T: Grio