Jesse Quackenbush, an attorney and owner of \u201cBig Beaners\u201d restaurant, stated that the inspiration for the name came from the fact that the restaurant would be selling Mexican food, coffee, and beans.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd there\u2019s no intention of racism behind that sign, the sign was merely was trying to connect the brand with the product,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Abel Bosquez, president of the local chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, had a different opinion about the restaurant\u2019s name.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a word that was used like you beaners, you wetback, you dirty Mexicans,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Quackenbush responded: \u201cIf anyone took the time to read the menu and look at the logo and understand it\u2019s a kidney bean not an Abel Bosquez or some Mexican that\u2019s bored at some committee. There\u2019s no racist intention, I\u2019m not a racist, we don\u2019t cater to racists, we don\u2019t have anything to do with racists, so Abel Bosquez is simply wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy is it a brown bean with a Mexican hat, a big mustache and pointy boots\u2014that is offensive to Mexicanos,\u201d Bosquez stated.<\/p>\n
When questioned by ABC7 News about why he didn\u2019t opt for terms like \u201cbig bean,\u201d \u201cbig frijoles,\u201d or similar alternatives, Quackenbush explained, \u201cWe chose \u2018big beaners\u2019 because we found the name appealing. It\u2019s akin to \u2018Big Texan,\u2019 where the term \u2018big\u2019 carries significance. We aimed to incorporate elements of Hispanic and Latin culture into our restaurant\u2019s mascot and logo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that the majority of Hispanics were not offended by the name or sign.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of the people that are responding saying \u2018I\u2019m alright with that\u2019\u2014they probably haven\u2019t experienced the racism part,\u201d Bosquez stated.<\/p>\n
When questioned about the possibility of issuing an apology for the sign, Quackenbush firmly stated, \u201cNo, I will not apologize. I do not extend apologies in connection to my business. I believe this is a fabricated scheme and a deceitful ploy orchestrated by a few former local restaurants that have recently closed down. Their outrage stems from the fact that a Caucasian individual is launching a Mexican restaurant\u2014that\u2019s the situation here.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Bosquez refuted this, and stated that even if the owner was of Mexican descent, the meaning would remain the same.<\/p>\n
\u201cRacism is racism regardless of who does it. I can be a racist against my own people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Amarillo Hispanic Chamber of Commerce released the following statement:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Amarillo Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has not reached out to Mr. Jesse Quackenbush regarding his choice of the name \u201cBig Beaners\u201d for his new restaurant. The remarks made on his social media post concerning the Hispanic chamber are inaccurate. We have received numerous complaints and inquiries regarding the restaurant\u2019s name. We acknowledge these concerns and comprehend them. It\u2019s essential to clarify that the AHCC is a business-focused organization, not a civil rights advocacy group.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Jesse Quackenbush, an attorney and owner of \u201cBig Beaners\u201d restaurant, stated that the inspiration for the name came from the fact that the restaurant would be selling… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n