Florida Restaurant Owner Renames Blackened Chicken Wings 'I Can't Breathe'

A Florida restaurant owner renamed a menu item from "Blackened Chicken Wings" to "I Can't Breathe." The new name of the food item at Hole in the Wall Pub in Miami prompted an employee to quit.

The former employee, Brandon Gonzalez, posted a photo of the receipt and said on Twitter: "Yesterday I was at work and my boss, Hole in the Wall co-founder Sam, thought it'd be funny to change the 'Blackened' wings to 'I Can't Breathe'. Attention Miami locals do not support this disgusting establishment. I quit today. #BlackLivesMatter"

Gonzalez told NBC Miami more about the name change: "You're pretty much joking about the BLM moment, you think it's a joke that George Floyd was saying 'I can't breathe' an x amount of times like you think that's funny? You know, like, that's not funny."

"I can't breathe" has become a rallying cry used by the Black Lives Matter movement. It was said by George Floyd as he was dying.

The former employee told Miami New Times: "I initially brushed it off as a mistake, but the owner came into the kitchen and mentioned the joke to the kitchen workers. They just looked at him."

In a photo posted to the owner, Sam Diedrick's, now-deleted Instagram page, he said: "I want to apologize for my insensitivity in a lame attempt at humor. My intentions were never to offend or make any employee or customer uncomfortable. I will take this incident and learn from my oafish behavior. I truly am sorry."

The restaurant has also issued an apology on its website which says: "The management of 'Hole in the Wall Pub' is disgusted about what occurred. We apologize to our customers and employees. It is reprehensible and goes completely against our values. We have taken immediate action by suspending Mr. Diedrick.

"We will be engaging directly with each of our employees to listen to their concerns and explain to them the steps we are taking to ensure this never occurs again."

Gonzalez told Newsweek: "I honestly don't think [the apology] worth anything. It seems to me they said what they said in order to save themselves. But it won't work. This is bigger than a simple "I'm sorry".

Diedrick and his business partner Craig Erickson opened Hole in the Wall Pub on New Year's Day 2010 at the southeast corner of Kings Bay Shopping Center in Miami-Dade. There are four Hole in the Wall locations in South Miami-Dade County, Florida.

In another tweet, Gonzalez said: "My poor mom is like 'omg now they're going to come egg our house' 'why'd you post that' [because] if everyone had that mentality nothing will change. I speak for those afraid to lose [their] jobs for speaking up. I said what had to be posted. You can't be scared of [the] consequences."

Newsweek has contacted the Hole in the Wall Pub for comment.