Austin, Texas Restaurant Owner Makes Controversial Sandy Hook Shooting Comments, Yelp Rating Plummets

 

The unthinkable tragedy that occurred last Friday in Newtown, Conn., has shocked the nation, causing an outpouring of sympathy from all corners of the country. One restaurant owner in Austin, Texas, however, made the unfortunate decision to post an insensitive comment about the massacre on his Facebook page, and when a screenshot of that went viral, the owner — and his restaurant — felt the wrath of the Internet.

"I'm failing to give a damn about the CT shooting," Thai Noodle House's Eddie Nimibutr posted. "I don't care if a bunch of white kids got killed." He then goes on to rant about how "nobody cares" when minorities are shot, and closes it out by telling readers to "get back to lavish X-mas shopping and believing in some false superstitions."

While the post was taken down soon after, the damage was already done. The Internet floodgates opened, with the bulk of derision being heaped upon his restaurant, the Thai Noodle House, through one-star Yelp reviews.

"This restaurant does not deserve your business until Eddie Nimibutr is no longer there and run out of town," posted James R. "The owner of this place is a vulgar, reprehensible human being. I don't know about you, but that's reason enough for me to never go to his restaurant," added Rachelle M. As of press time, nearly 100 "reviews" have been posted to the Yelp page, most disparaging the owner's remarks. Only a few come to his defense.

Sometimes it's just better to keep your opinions to yourself, especially when your restaurant's financial status (and Yelp rating) is on the line.