A new restaurant in Brisbane,Bahamas Australia has been accused of racism on social media Monday.
British Colonial Co. has been on the receiving end of criticism for its name and concept which appears to revel in the conquests and culture of the British Empire of old.
SEE ALSO: 'Enjoy the tea!': Man confronts racist conversation with a nice pot of tea"Inspired by the stylish days of the empirical push into the developing cultures of the world, with the promise of adventure and modern, refinement in a safari style setting," the restaurant's website read.
That description has since been altered on Monday afternoon, sans reference to the plundering of other cultures, somewhat. It now reads "A refined and modern dining experience with the adventure of east meets west in a plantation style, club setting."
Nevertheless, the name of the restaurant and its celebration of British imperialism did not impress many on Twitter.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Australia's history is an imperialist one, being a British colony with a strong slave trade, including domestic, missionary and agricultural slavery -- which tens of thousands of Indigenous peoples and South Sea Islanders were victims of.
The restaurant has issued a statement via email, "upset" at articles that the British Colonial Co. brand was causing offence.
"We are very proud of our brand, dining experience and the loyal clientele we have established since opening in July this year. British Colonial Co was founded on the principles of providing Brisbane foodies with relaxed, casual dining.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
"We believe that our décor and menu has great synergy with Brisbane’s climate and the expansive palette of our clientele, who are looking for a melting pot of food and beverages to enjoy in a relaxed atmosphere," the statement says.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
"We are therefore upset and saddened by today's media reports that our brand is causing offence and distress to some members of the community. This certainly was not our intention. As a small local business, we strive to be the best we can, and we are committed to improving our service wherever possible."
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
It's not the first time the name of a restaurant in the city of Brisbane has attracted controversy. Uncle Ho, an upmarket Vietnamese restaurant, attracted ire from the local Vietnamese community in April for its explicit reference to North Vietnamese communist leader Ho Chi Minh.
Uncle Ho changed its name to Uncle Bia Hoi, then to Aunty Oh's Bia Hoi, before closing down in July.
Topics Racial Justice
Twitter mourns the passing of President Joe Biden's beloved dog. ChampMickey Easterling and the Practice of “Extreme Embalming”Marvel's VFX workers are pushing to unioniseThe Morning News Roundup for April 30, 2014How to avoid flashing lights and photosensitive videos on TikTokWhy Children’s Books MatterRecapping Dante: Canto 27 or Let’s Make a Deal with the PopeThe Morning News Roundup for April 22, 2014The Morning News Roundup for May 5, 2014The Story Behind “Cunning”Recapping Dante: Canto 27 or Let’s Make a Deal with the Pope'Gimme The Mic' is TikTok's new music competitionThe Anniversary of the Road AtlasThe Smithereens of Collapse: An Interview with Bill CotterAI cyberattack could figure out your password from keyboard acousticsThe Morning News Roundup for April 21, 2014How to Save Frozen BooksThe Morning News Roundup for April 25, 2014On Skip Spence’s OarFrom our Archive: “Three Days with Gabo” Basketball Paris 2024 livestream: Watch live basketball for free Football Paris 2024 livestream: Watch live football for free Instagram now lets you create an AI version of yourself Samsung Galaxy Buds FE deal: $20 off at Amazon Brazilian gymnast Flávia Saraiva competes with a black eye, wins the internet's heart NFL Sunday Ticket deal: $449 value for free with Verizon NYT Strands hints, answers for July 29 How to install iOS 18.1 developer beta — try Apple Intelligence now New iPhone 16 leak reveals 5 vibrant colors and camera redesign House of the Dragon Season 2, episode 7: Why is House Beesbury at war with the Hightowers? OpenAI rolls out ChatGPT's new Voice AI (without Scarlett Johansson mode) NYT Strands hints, answers for July 31 Best air purifier deal: Save 40% on Govee Mini HEPA Purifier Keely Hodgkinson Paris 2024 livestream: Watch live athletics for free Apple's AI features will be late, report claims When is Simone Biles competing at the Olympics today? Women's gymnastics finals schedule. Drew Afualo is more vulnerable than ever in her debut book 'Loud' Best AirPods deal: Grab AirPods (2nd gen) for just $70 at Amazon right now YouTube's war on ad blockers continues, now making ads truly unskippable Germany basketball Paris 2024 livestream: Watch Germany for free