Saturday, January 31, 2009

Customers Outraged Over "Obama Room"



ANAHEIM -- "The owner of a local restaurant that plays off its name -- "The Anaheim White House" -- has gotten some unexpected backlash after he named a room after President Barack Obama.

Bruno Serato says being bipartisan is part of his marketing plan that includes naming the rooms in his establishment after all kinds of presidents like Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.

He says none of them ever caused any controversy.

So, he figured naming a room after President Obama would be the same.

Last week, Serato sent a blast e-mail to about 20,000 people on his customer list to announce the room dedication.

What he got in return was a plethora of complaints.

"You must be kidding?" read one email. "He didn't do anything yet other than weaken our internal security. Maybe you could house all the Gitmo (Guantanamo Bay) internees there instead."

"I am not an Obama supporter," read another angry e-mail. "I could never be, and as much as having an African-American in the White House could be a good thing, having one with Marxist ideals is certainly not a good thing! I will not be patronizing your restaurant, much less the 'Obama Room.'"

Serato turned the negative e-mails around and contacted the media as well as his associates in an attempt to receive more business. So far, that appears to be working.

As for who Serato voted for -- he won't say."

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