Death Row-Themed Pop-Up Closes Up Shop

Remember that macabre London pop-up restaurant that was going to serve five-course meals inspired by death row prisoners' last meal requests? The restaurant reportedly received harsh criticism and even death threats from those claiming that the idea was tacky at best, and extremely offensive at worst. Now, the people behind Death Row Dinners have canceled the events, and deleted their website and Twitter in the process. No word yet on if and when reservation fees will be returned to patrons.

According to Yahoo UK, the dinners were canceled after numerous serious threats to the owner. A spokesperson for Dirty Dishes, the organization that was behind the pop-up, told Yahoo, "We were expecting some negativity — after all, it is an idea that was always going to polarize. If you don't like it, it's very simple, just don't go. Concentrate on what you do like, not what you don't."

Despite their initial insistence on going ahead with the spooky dinners, which were supposed to start in October, Dirty Dishes eventually nixed the events altogether because, "As [the organizer's] personal safety and the safety of the guests is at risk, the event can no longer go ahead."

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Joanna Fantozzi is an Associate Editor with The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter@JoannaFantozzi