Pet Peeves Friday: Insulting Ads

My pet peeve today is about insulting and rude ads. There are a lot of them out there that I feel are insensitive to gender, body type, race, etc., but the insulting ad I’m focused on today is from a local bar/restaurant and it’s not a television or radio advertisement, but an attempt to promote one of their menu items.

The place is Mac’s Industrial Sports Bar and it’s located just outside of downtown in Minneapolis’ Northeast neighborhood. I had read a number of online reviews that claimed Mac’s had the best Reuben in town and since I’ve been on about a two-year quest to find the best Reuben in town, I was excited.

I go to Mac’s and the place is dark, cold and has a vibe that didn’t leave me feeling very welcome, and it was loud. It’s one of those types of places that’s apparently designed with acoustics, or lack of acoustics, to be loud when the place isn’t busy. I try not to judge a restaurant’s food by the restaurant itself, but that’s sometimes difficult because the atmosphere is part of the meal, but in the case of Mac’s, I didn’t have to worry about that because I found the Reuben to be well below average. Everything about the sandwich was disappointing. The mouth-watering reports I had read about thick slices of brisket-style corned beef stacked high were false. What was there was tasty, but there just wasn’t very much there. The bread was soggy and under grilled and the Swiss cheese was about non-existent. The tablespoon dropping of sauerkraut was wet and had all but diluted the 1,000 Island dressing. In all honesty, the sandwich I received, which I don’t deny may be way out of the norm, was only slightly better than what Culvers offers up for less than half the price.

But, friends, that’s not my rant! My rant is about insulting and rude ads, remember? Mac’s advertises their Reuben with text in their menu that avers the sandwich was, “ “Voted Best Reuben in Town” by everyone who isn’t and [sic] idiot.” Forget the typo, although how that got past the typesetter and the proofer and the customer is anyone’s guess (and makes you wonder who the idiot is), I don’t know where the humor is in insulting someone who wouldn’t vote for their Reuben as the best in town. I know I’m being a little nit-picky and they’re not serious, but I just don’t get the humor.

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