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| Image by Diorama Sky via Flickr |
Apparently, the owner had imbibed heavily when he took to his pub's business Facebook page for a single-line rant: (via DFW.com)
On Monday afternoon, a controversy exploded online, when the recently opened Zio Carlo Magnolia Brew Pub posted what seemed like a bitter indictment of President Obama and his followers on its Facebook page: “I would prefer not have spoiled Obama kids around me.”
Although the specific author of the posting is not clear, a later comment from Zio Carlo in the same thread that reads “I was born in Italy” suggests it was written by Zio Carlo owner Carlo Galotto.
The post was subsequently removed, but this screen shot – taken by one angry patron who claimed he would never return to the place – illustrates the instantaneous blowback Zio Carlo received. The vast majority of the nearly hundred 100 comments were negative.Oops.
Fortunately for Galotto, a local public relations pro, Beth Hutson of Hutson Creative Group in Ft. Worth, offered some pro bono damage control and reputation repair. Hutson assisted with the owner's apology and subsequent free pizza slice and happy hour on Saturday.
I hope this works for Carlo Galotto and his fledgling business. Was getting drunk and dropping f-bombs in the comments on his Facebook business page stupid? Absolutely. But accepting PR counsel and acquiescing to a decent mea culpa after the screw up is actually a pretty smart business move. Most likely this episode has caused enough of a stir in the area that folks will come out in support or even just out of curiosity. When they do, Zio Carlo's food and drinks needs to do the talking. The pizza and beer better live up to the hype. That's the best way for Galotto to get back on message.
