A controversial limited-time menu item from &pizza that made fun of the late Marion Barry, former mayor of Washington D.C., has proven to be short-lived. Faced with explosive backlash and a boycott threat, the D.C.-based chain announced today it has removed the LTO dessert item, called the Marion Berry Knots, from its menu and issued an apology.
&pizza, known for its edgy and irreverent marketing, sparked controversy earlier this week when it debuted the item, with Barry’s widow, Cora Masters Barry, denouncing the campaign as racist.
The sweet knots were filled with marionberries, a type of blackberry, and finished with a drizzle of vanilla icing. A press release referred to a “generous dusting of powdered sugar,” and other passages appeared to reference Barry’s 1990 arrest for crack cocaine. Additionally, a photo accompanying the promo’s announcement featured a mirror piled with powdered sugar and a sign that reads, “Our classic knots just got a bump.”
In an interview with DC News Now yesterday, Cora Masters Barry, the mayor’s widow, condemned the promotion. “I just think it’s racist,” she said. “In this city, it is outrageously racist. You can print that. It’s racist and disrespectful.”
Other city officials, including councilmember Christina Henderson, also denounced the marketing campaign as “tone-deaf and hella disrespectful,” Eater.DC.com reports. Another council member, Trayon White, called for a boycott of the pizza chain and said the campaign represented “shameless and tasteless exploitation of Marion S. Barry’s legacy.”
In announcing the item’s removal from the menu, &pizza CEO Mike Burns said in a statement, “Candidly, we made a mistake. And for that, we sincerely apologize.”
The statement continued: “While humor was our intent, it was regrettably off the mark. The parody of the former mayor and portrayal of substance abuse was wrong. We have read the countless messages and social media posts and understand the frustration this has brought forth—especially to the Barry family.”
Prior to &pizza’s backtracking move, its U Street location in D.C. today drew protesters demanding that the item be removed from the menu and calling for an apology. As Eater.DC reports, the rally was led by activist Ronald Moten, who called Burns a “white supremacist” and also urged a boycott of the pizza brand.
“We just want you to know that we’re coming as a united front,” Eater.DC quotes Moten as saying. “This ain’t one person. This ain’t two persons. This not black. This not white. This is Washington, D.C., and we here to tell you: not in D.C.”
In the statement from &pizza, Burns said the company recognized Barry’s importance to the city and would reach out to community leaders to “identify how we can work together to make a positive impact.”
