Seafood restaurant launches 'PETA Tears' beer, trolls animal rights group saying ‘your tears are delicious’
BALTIMORE: Jimmy's Famous Seafood in Baltimore, Maryland, is taking its advertising battle with animal rights group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) to the next level.
The restaurant has now launched a new beer named "PETA Tears" which it claims go well with seafood.
The latest move by the seafood restaurant comes after it locked horns with PETA over a billboard issue last September.
The eatery didn't miss a single moment to troll the animal rights group as it tagged PETA on Twitter while announcing the new product.
Speaking to Fox News, restaurant owner John Minadakis said the brew was inspired by social media.
“We read every tweet, email, and message that we get,” he said.
Minadakis said they worked with a local brewery and “spent months perfecting it,” as he wanted something “that goes well with seafood, for obvious reasons, and wasn’t too high in alcohol content.”
Furthermore, he said they wanted to avoid anything that was already synonymous with various seasons, like pumpkin spice or summer shandy beers. They even rejected IPAs for the selection.
They eventually came up with a traditional American blonde ale, and the name was apparently an easy choice for Minadakis.
“We knew there might be some push back, but we’re ready for that," he said, adding that the family-owned business was "overwhelmed with support" after the billboard feud with PETA.
"We’ll let the product speak for itself," Minadakis said.
Meanwhile, PETA president Ingrid Newkirk told the Baltimore Sun the new beer was a “silly bid for relevancy,” and Jimmy’s Famous Seafood should try to add vegan options to their spread, or rather “switch to an entirely vegan menu.”
Back in September, the animal rights organization had placed a billboard in Baltimore featuring the picture of a crab, alongside the message, “I’m ME, not MEAT.”
In response, Jimmy's ran their own billboard boasting a cooked crab with a message that read, “SteaMEd crabs. Here to stay.”
Minadakis has also revealed that one dollar from every sale of PETA Tears beer would directly go towards the “Show Your Soft Side” campaign, a nonprofit works towards stopping animal cruelty.
The restaurant owner thinks the beer will be popular throughout the summer. And if it remains popular thereafter, they would consider adding it to the menu permanently.