Bamboozle Oriental Kitchen, which earned notoriety last year for its incredibly racist menu item names, is one of several restaurants in the Christchurch area in New Zealand that are closing down.
The restaurant, owned by veteran Christchurch restauranteur Phillip Kraal, officially closed down after its final celebration on Saturday where they offered a banquet for $70 per head, according to Stuff.
Writing in a Facebook post, Kraal said that the challenges Bamboozle faced in the past were “simply overwhelming.”
The menu has been in operation for two years, but only sparked controversy early last year when it was exposed online and picked up by the media. Many were offended by the names Bamboozle chose for their dishes, some of which include: “Suk Sum Teet,” “Chirri Garrik An Prawn Dumpring,” “’Pang Pang’ Cori Frower,” “’Bang Bang’ Or Gee,” and “Luff U’Long Time Phat Thai.”
When asked by Stuff on Wednesday if the controversy surrounding the racist menu names affected business at Bamboozle, Kraal angrily declined to comment and said, “You’re just vultures trying to sell newspapers. You should show some social responsibility…”
While speaking to NZ Herald last year, Kraal said that their customers enjoy the menu card as part of the experience of eating at Bamboozle.
“Pretty much everyone [sic] of our customers enjoys the written menu as part of their overall experience and often express disappointment when items are removed with seasonal menu changes,” he said. “But we appreciate the feedback and are actively considering it.”
Featured image via Twitter / Pandacakeyumyum
