Yum! Brands Inc. apologized Thursday for “unintentionally offending” Vietnamese residents with a red star logo for its new Banh Shop concept and said it is working with community representatives to change it immediately.
This week, local Vietnamese émigrés started an online petition that raised concerns about the logo’s symbolic links to communism. The Louisville, Ky.-based parent to KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell opened the first of two planned fast-casual Banh Shop restaurants in Dallas on Sept. 12.
“We have heard the issues raised by the Vietnamese community and effective immediately, we are changing the logo,” a Yum spokesperson said in an email Thursday.
Yum senior vice president Jonathan Blum apologized Thursday to petition organizer Thanh Cung, president of the Vietnamese-American Community of Greater Dallas.
In a follow-up email to Cung that was shared with Nation’s Restaurant News, Blum wrote, “First, on behalf of all of us at Yum, please accept our sincere apology to you and to the Vietnamese community for unintentionally offending you with the logo of Banh Shop.
“We have the greatest respect for the Vietnamese people and culture,” Blum continued. “It was never our intent to offend anyone, but we see we have made a mistake and in hindsight, we should have recognized this logo could be offensive. Therefore, and effective immediately, we are changing the logo and removing the red star from all materials and signage at the restaurant. That will happen by end of day today.”
In his online petition, Cung said the red star logo offended many members of the Vietnamese community. More than 120 people signed the petition within its first day online.
“While we are very pleased with the name of the restaurant, we are hurt and offended by your chosen logo, a red star, which is a symbol of communism and will offend thousands of South Vietnamese refugees in my community,” Cung wrote. “The heavy majority of Vietnamese living in the Dallas area are political and religious refugees who fled Vietnam when North Vietnamese communist rule started in 1975. We ask you to consider changing the logo for your newest chain of restaurants.”
Blum said Yum would work with members of the Dallas-area Vietnamese community to revise the logo.
“We will design a new logo, and would greatly appreciate your reviewing it, along with other aspects of this restaurant, before we make a final decision,” Blum wrote in his email to Cung. “We hope that you can let us know if there are any other elements in the new logo or aspects of the restaurant that could be perceived poorly.”
Blum emphasized that it was important to Yum and Banh Shop that “our restaurant is enjoyed by all, and we hope you can let others know of our sincere apology for the mistake we have made and the actions we are taking to address it.”
Blum said Christophe Poirier, who heads up new concepts for Yum, would meet with representatives of the Vietnamese community “to review new logo designs within the next 24 hours.”
Poirier discusses Banh Shop’s branding >>
“We hope you’ll accept our apology on behalf of the Vietnamese community, and that you will feel free to contact either Christophe or me directly with any additional concerns or questions,” Blum concluded.
Banh Shop is one of two test concepts that Yum has underway. The other, Super Chix, opened in Arlington, Texas, in April.
Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected].
Follow him on Twitter: @RonRuggless
