Submitted by Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
Restaurant chain Lunchbox Laboratory caused a bit of a stir when it presented its annual 4/20 sale offering a thirteen dollar Burger of the Gods in a “Buy one get one free” special. 4/20 is celebrated in the cannabis subculture as a national holiday of sorts and the numbers refer to California Senate Bill 420 which authorized medical marijuana in that state. Events during this day are celebrated in many areas of the United States.
For the year 2014, April 20th coincides with Easter. In a melding of the two holidays Lunchbox Laboratory sought a new way to generate business.
The restaurant e-Mailed the advertisement to 13,000 subscribers with the add featuring a burger toting, joint toking Jesus who laments: “When I Get Back, All I Want is the Burger of the Gods.”
“I wanted you to look at Jesus smoking a blunt, eating a hamburger and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to tell my friend,’” restaurant owner John Schmidt told Q13FOX.com in Seattle. “The chatter is much more than I anticipated. I’m simply trying to sell burgers.”
Schmidt argues he is a “family man” and practicing Christian who was just looking for a way to help his small business pay its bills.
“I’m not your moral compass,” he told Q13FOX.com. “We’re just trying to sell sandwiches. If you’re looking to me for moral direction, you’re probably misguided.”
The resulting free advertising was bolstered by Seattle’s KIRO Radio talk show host Dori Monson who declared “He will never go back to Lunchbox Laboratory after the pot smoking Jesus ad.” He added the following additional insight to the debate:
What this shows is not just a contempt for Christians and Christianity – and they’re free to do that, they’re a private business in a free society. They can have contempt for Christians and Christianity if they want. But to me what this shows more than anything is something that I talk about all the time, and that is this phony, hipster culture in Seattle, because there is nothing particularly edgy about attacking the center point and the center day of Christianity, there’s nothing edgy about that.
I don’t think it’s funny to show Jesus smoking a joint. I don’t think it’s cool. I don’t think it’s hip. It certainly isn’t edgy.
Some people are going to say hey you’re giving them exactly what they’re hoping for, you’re giving them free publicity. But I’ll tell you this is a place I’ve patronized in the past and I will never ever go back to Lunchbox Laboratory.
Again, free speech, I’m all for it, I’m not saying they shouldn’t be allowed to do this. If they don’t care about alienating whatever percentage of their customer base who are Christians, if they don’t care about that, go ahead and do it. But I will tell you it’s a place I’ve gone to that I will never ever go back to again.
It seems certain that Lunchbox Laboratory has lost a very important and valuable customer in Dori Monson. But, thanks to him his entire audience knows of a burger joint they might not have considered before. As for the flight of Christian customers Dori prophesized, one could wonder how many of the 13,000 fans will be deterred. Or, will they in thanks offer Bong Hits For Jesus?
By Darren Smith
Sources:
WSPA
Dori Monson
Lunchbox Laboratory
The views expressed in this posting are the author’s alone and not those of the blog, the host, or other weekend bloggers. As an open forum, weekend bloggers post independently without pre-approval or review. Content and any displays or art are solely their decision and responsibility.
nick,
I am not buying what you are selling concerning the nonsensical claim of a war on Christianity.
What leejcaroll said. I think it is an example of free enterprise finding a way to sell more product.. Wouldn’t Hobby Lobby approve of this ad?
leej, Secular progressives have declared a war on Christianity. True atheists detest all religion so I can abide it. Secular progressives just hate Christianity. You know there are some folks who still believe we are culpable on Benghazi for allowing an idiot to make an anti Muslim movie. They love and protect Islam and hate Christians, it’s is very clear.
We agree totally on cannabis. Ending on a positive note.
I agree that there is no war on Christians and that the ad is very funny. But I also think this type of ad would not be tolerated if you substituted Muhammad for Jesus.
The idea of a “war” on Christians is ridiculous. What other religion has the federal government closed on its Holy Days? It is open for instance on Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah.
I don’t find the ad insulting, I think Jesus would be on the side of a natural medication that can help many people who are ill. I think he would also be in the side of not throwing people in jail for the use of this drug, even when it is done recreationally.
(I am going to put link here to my video on why medical marijuana should be legalized, This is something that can help all not just patients: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1117290 )
Dredd,
That Jesus with the AR 15 offends me.
I believe they are testing the “no such thing as bad publicity” hypothesis. I surmise they will be correct.
jimnjoy
They’re going to be sorry about that one day.
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Here is how the right-wing nuts do Jesus PC (Jesus Smokes An AR-15). Jesus has more spokespersons than the Mad Hatter trying to be politically incorrect just to be cool.
But truth, the other component is PC. There are protected classes in the PC textbook. Christians and fat people have no protection. It’s ALWAYS open season on them and you may fire @ will.
truth!! You are speaking truth! Bravo!
@Paul Schulte “This ad offends everyone who has a religion, not just Christians.”
You speak for everyone?
I thought this ad was hilarious and not offensive at all. And I cancelled my subscription to The New Yorker after they crucified the Easter Bunny.
The Progressives will not care. Its Jesus. Now if it was Muhammad or Buddha, it would be ‘offensive’.
See the Progressives identify Jesus/Christianity with the Republicans. So its ok to them to denigrate and insult anything they like. It is called hypocrisy.
After years of the Religious Right trying to force their beliefs upon everyone, the Progressives now have the upper hand and they have become hypocrites. In fact I would dare say they are far worse than even the Religious Right was in some regards.
It would be nice if people would just respect each others religious beliefs instead of mocking them.
“all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion,”- James Madison
This may not go over well with One Million Moms.
Anonymous w/ a great point! I am a person of faith but I believe God and his son have a sense of humor. That’s why they allow dogs to chase their tails and Joe Biden to become VP.
A week without a Halo Burger makes one weak…..
Reblogged this on 4:20 Smokers Blog.
Fortunately, they selected Jesus and not Muhammad…That would not have ended well.
randyjet – I am sure if they were offering a free joint with each hamburger it would up their sales, but I think, depending on their target demographic, this is going to work against them. Most of the students from Udub are home with their folks and will not be able to participate, this leaves just the locals. Even in Seattle they have people celebrating Easter and Passover. This ad offends everyone who has a religion, not just Christians.
BTW, this is a local chain around Seattle, so they are not infecting the rest of the USA. 🙂
At first I thought that if you bought a burger you got a free joint with it. It would certainly spur even more sales of burgers.
They’re going to be sorry about that one day.