Michigan-based restaurant and craft beer bar HopCat is changing the offensive name it uses for its fries — "Crack Fries."
The company announced the long overdue decision on its blog:
Today we are announcing plans to change the name of our Crack Fries. Rest assured, the recipe and ingredients are not changing, only the name.
Our vision for creating an inclusive company that supports our communities, shows love for our team and best serves our guests is not compatible with the continued use of the Crack Fries name.
We chose the name more than 11 years ago as a reference to the addictive quality of the fries and their cracked pepper seasoning, without consideration for those the drug negatively affected. We were wrong.
The crack epidemic and the lasting impact on those it affects is not funny and never was.
As we grow as a company we have come to realize that to make light of this drug and of addiction contradicts our values of inclusion and community. We want to thank our guests, employees and community members who have helped us come to this realization and apologize for the pain the name brought to others.
HopCat has 17 locations across Michigan and the country, including one in Detroit's Cass Corridor, where crack is still a very real and common problem.
The company hasn't yet announced a new name, but menus and signage should be changed by mid-January.
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