Vietnamese residents in the proximity of Yum Brands’ new Banh Shop are upset over the brand's use of a star in the logo. The Banh Shop Saigon Street Food features a not-so-subtle five-point communist red star as part of their official store logo.

Would you expect anything different from the place that refers to pho as "Vietnamese-Style Chicken Soup?"

The Dallas-based Vietnamese-American restaurant is Yum’s first foray into the world of Vietnamese food, and it looks like they’re off to an incredibly bad start. Anyone of Vietnamese descent remembers how bad things were under the Vietnamese communist regime. The star, whether red or yellow, represents that unforgettable era for Vietnam. It’s almost as bad as a swastika or the Hydra symbol.

Foodbeast reached out to Yum and they sent us this email between Yum Vice President Jonathan Blum and Vietnamese-American Community of Greater Dallas, Thanh Cung.

Dear Mr. Cung,

Thank you very much for taking the time to speak with us this morning.  We appreciate your time.

First, on behalf of all of us at YUM, please accept our sincere apology to you and to the Vietnamese community for unintentionally offending you with the logo of Banh Shop.  We have the greatest respect for the Vietnamese people and culture.  It was never our intent to offend anyone, but we see we have made a mistake and in hindsight, we should have recognized this logo could be offensive.  Therefore, and effective immediately, we are changing the logo and removing the red star from all materials and signage at the restaurant.  That will happen by end of day today.  We will design a new logo, and would greatly appreciate your reviewing it, along with other aspects of this restaurant, before we make a final decision.  We hope that you can let us know if there are any other elements in the new logo or aspects of the restaurant that could be perceived poorly.

We want you to know we have heard the issues raised by you and others in the community, and we are addressing those right away.  It is important to us that our restaurant is enjoyed by all, and we hope you can let others know of our sincere apology for the mistake we have made and the actions we are taking to address it.

Christophe Poirier, who heads up new concepts for YUM, will contact you to arrange a mutually convenient time for the two of you to meet to review new logo designs within the next 24 hours.  We hope you’ll accept our apology on behalf of the Vietnamese community, and that you will feel free to contact either Christophe or me directly with any additional concerns or questions.

Thank you again for your understanding and consideration.

 

Sincerely,

Jonathan Blum

Senior Vice President

YUM Brands, Inc.

Let's break it down:

First, on behalf of all of us at YUM, please accept our sincere apology to you and to the Vietnamese community for unintentionally offending you with the logo of Banh Shop.  We have the greatest respect for the Vietnamese people and culture.  It was never our intent to offend anyone, but we see we have made a mistake and in hindsight, we should have recognized this logo could be offensive.

We really want to believe it was an unintentional effort, Mr. Blum. The thing is, you're responsible for one of the largest fast-food chains in the world. We know you respect Vietnamese culture and all, especially with a menu that dumbs down Vietnamese food to a bare minimum, but you have to have known throwing a huge red star on front of your shop would turn some heads. Seriously, don't you have people who work for you spot-checking this stuff?

Therefore, and effective immediately, we are changing the logo and removing the red star from all materials and signage at the restaurant.  That will happen by end of day today.  We will design a new logo, and would greatly appreciate your reviewing it, along with other aspects of this restaurant, before we make a final decision.  We hope that you can let us know if there are any other elements in the new logo or aspects of the restaurant that could be perceived poorly.

Christophe Poirier, who heads up new concepts for YUM, will contact you to arrange a mutually convenient time for the two of you to meet to review new logo designs within the next 24 hours.  We hope you’ll accept our apology on behalf of the Vietnamese community, and that you will feel free to contact either Christophe or me directly with any additional concerns or questions.

Oh awesome, you're taking down the star today. Also a really solid move asking the President of the Dallas Vietnamese Community to look over your new designs. Should win over a few hearts if he happens to agree. Though maybe keep his phone number handy next time you open a Vietnamese-themed eatery.

Thank you again for your understanding and consideration.

WHAT.

H/T Culture Map Dallas Picthx Marc Lee