Mugshots were used to promote a last meal pop-up restaurant concept in Britain. (deathrowdinners.club)
It’s official. The controversial pop-up restaurant called Death Row Dinners has died even before it open.
Last week, we reported that the London theme restaurant was in danger of getting off the ground. Now, its organizers themselves are in danger after receiving death threats.
According to the Hackney Gazette, organizers cancelled the restaurant’s launch due to "serious threatening behavior." The pop-up was expected to run from Oct. 24 to Oct. 29.
"As [the organizer’s] personal safety and the safety of the guests is at risk the event can no longer go ahead," a spokeswoman said.
Now all traces of Death Row Dinners has been removed from the web, including its website, official Twitter account and references to the promotion company behind the event, Brixton-based Dirty Dishes.
The restaurant's website had featured pictures of criminals due to be executed with the menu choices hanging around their necks. The pop-up was offering an $82-per-head dinner that would have let diners “enjoy the idea of the last meal, without the nasty execution bit.”
After receiving a flood of criticism and outrage, the organizers originally issued an apology saying they were "shocked and saddened" by the negative reaction.
Later, they vowed to stay open and defended their idea.
"We were expecting some negativity - after all it is an idea that was always going to polarize. Doing something that pleases everyone is impossible and also in danger of being wallpaper, and that's not what we wanted.”
Now the organizers are keeping a low profile.
At the time, the human rights group, Amnesty International, also voiced their objection.
"We thought Death Row Dinners had to be a spoof. It's hard to believe someone would choose that as a theme in real life," spokesperson Niall Couper said.
"It is in appallingly bad taste."
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