DALLAS The 59-unit Pizza Patron chain, which targets the Hispanic market in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and Texas, has received death threats and hate mail from immigration opponents incensed at its new promotional offer to accept Mexican pesos through February.
Although Wal-Mart and other businesses operating in U.S. border cities also are known to accept pesos, and some businesses accept Canadian dollars in parts of New York and Minnesota, most of the hundreds of e-mails the pizza chain has received about the ÒPizza por PesosÓ promotion have criticized it, the Associated Press reported.
Founded by Antonio Swad, who is of Italian and Lebanese ancestry, Pizza Patron counts Hispanics as 60 percent of its clientele. The AP quoted Swad as saying the promotion would continue and be reevaluated at the end of February.
