Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Grande Bad Ass, Please

How clever you are, my dear! You never mean a single word you say.
Oscar Wilde (1854–1900), playwright

Bad Ass… good to the last drop.

Tip of the hat to Poliblog, again. Cruising the site this story from the Arizona Republic shows we lack a sense of humor.

According to the company, the store's name derives from a legend, posted prominently at www.badasscoffee.com.

"The native people of Kona, Hawaii, remember the days of the 'Bad Ass Ones.' The bellows of the donkeys could be heard echoing through the mountains as they hauled the heavy loads of coffee up and down the mountainside."

Despite the legend, Councilman Gary "Doc" Sullivan said the name shows "poor taste." The franchise is in his district.

"It's named after a donkey, but you know, this is still a family community, and I just feel stuff like that is inappropriate," said Sullivan, who is up for re-election Tuesday.

When finished, the Surprise shop will have a Hawaiian theme with palm trees and waves painted on the walls, Morrison said.

And despite the flap, Alexakos said she is confident all ages will turn out when the shop is complete.

The company is also in talks to open a Scottsdale franchise, though no location has been firmed up yet. Scottsdale had its own franchise naming battle last year with Pink Taco, a restaurant with a sexually suggestive name.

Bad Ass Coffee isn't the Valley's first donkey-themed business. Goodyear is home to Ass Kickin' Hot Sauce, a brand of Southwest Specialty Food Inc. that has been around since 1989.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

LOL! I lived in AZ for a few years..and all I can say is;

Some of those folks been out in the sun too damn long :P

The Misanthrope said...

Hi Dusty, I can't argue that point.