A "memorable" name is not necessarily a good one

by Nicole Weston, Posted Aug 22nd 2006 @ 4:04PM

The owner of a restaurant in Mumbai has, in what appears to be a case of very poor judgment, opened a restaurant called Hitler's Cross. It is covered with large portraits of Hitler, as well as the red, white and black swastika of the Nazis. The owner claims that he simply wanted the restaurant to be memorable. "This is the one name that will say in [peoples'] minds," said owner Punit Shablok. "We are not promoting Hitler. But we want to tell people we are different in the way he was different."

"Different in the way he was different"? Does that mean that the restaurant owner wants to lead a fascist nation? That he is a Nazi? Or did Hitler have some previously unknown passion for "continental food" - presumably vegetaraian food, at that - served in small restaurants in India?

Needless to say, many people in the community (and in the rest of the world) are angry about the name choice, which is offensive to many. It remains to be seen whether public outcry will be strong enough for the restaurant to change its name. Both the owner and the manager have already expressed a desire to turn the restaurant into a chain.

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Filed Under: Food Oddities, Chefs & Restaurants, Restaurants
Tags: asia, bad name, continental, hitler, india, indian, mumbai, name, nazi, nazis, oddities, restaurant, restaurants

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

8-22-2006 @4:29PM calamari said... So I guess this restaurant will not be serving gefulte fish, matzo balls, and knishes?
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8-22-2006 @5:12PM deez said... If you can't laugh about Hitler, you are taking yourself and life too seriously.

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8-22-2006 @5:53PM Dan Tannenbaum said... Granted, we need to remember the past in order not to repeat it, but NOT over dinner!
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8-22-2006 @6:19PM Vishy said... Having grown up in Mumbai, I should mention that talking about Adolf Hitler is not as verboten as it is in Western culture. No doubt he was a fundamentally evil man, who directly caused the deaths of millions. However, there is still a deplorable strain of admiration for him in some parts of Indian society because of the way he 'got things done'. Furthermore, displaying the swastika, an ancient Indian symbol is also not nearly as taboo as it is in the West.

Note that I am not saying that Indians admire Hitler; only that this may not be as heinous an outrage there as it is in the West.

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8-23-2006 @3:31PM Vesna said... If "The Producers" were about restaurateurs instead of Broadway moguls, this would be the restaurant they would start.

How about an order of Pasta Primavera alla Hitler -- or just call it Springtime for Hitler Noodles?
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8-24-2006 @4:18PM Erin said... Hey, it's okay to have a Lenin-themed bar, but not a Hitler-themed restaurant?
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8-24-2006 @4:36PM Edward O'Connor said... It fascinates me that this sort of thing is pretty much universally condemned, and yet if you have, say, a communist-themed martini bar, people think it's chic and cool.
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8-24-2006 @4:46PM Edward O'Connor said... Errrr, a link didn't work in my comment. I intended to link to Red Square: http://www.mandalaybay.com/dining/restaurants_red_square.aspx
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8-24-2006 @5:13PM Erin said... Ha, there's what happens if you send a link to someone before leaving a comment and not telling them what your comment is. You say the same thing.
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8-24-2006 @6:35PM Mike said... Bad taste, perhaps.

A restaurant named after Hitler: Bad

Broadway play about Hitler: Bad

Movie about a Broadway play about Hitler: Good. Also a hit and made into a Broadway play which is then made into a movie.

Had he made it a spoof of "Springtime for Hitler" his biggest worry would have been for copyright infringement.

Oh, and Red Square in Mandalay Bay does have the giant Lenin statue outside. But it's been beheaded and covered with faux pigeon droppings.
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