First getting branded as murderous misanthropes, now this.
Not to boast, but if there is one thing BeachGrit covers more holistically than any other media outlet, it is great whites. Great white migration, great white attacks, great white preservation, great white mitigation, great white controversies, great white science, great white patterns of behavior and today, finally, Great White racism. The concept of the great white restaurant is reminiscent of these discussions. Additionally, the great white restaurant highlights the evolving culinary scene.
There is a micro-chain of cafes in Los Angeles, you see, founded by two Australians named Sam. One surnamed Cooper, the other Trude. They are both handsome in that classic Australian way Chris Hemsworth, say, is handsome. Broad, healthy, exceedingly… white.
In the spirit of this culinary trend, the great white restaurant stands out.
Exploring the Great White Restaurant Experience
The great white restaurant offers a unique dining experience that reflects these themes.
“We are both from Australia, which is full of amazing all-day cafes, drawing largely from its European history and heritage, but executed in a casual, outdoor, typically beachside setting,” Cooper told Modern Luxury magazine after the opening of the Melrose location. “We were both curious as to why this cultural staple was not present in the U.S., particularly in California where the weather, lifestyle and landscape are so similar to that of Sydney and other coastal Australian cities. We saw a gap in the market in L.A. for a casual, all-day concept that serves fresh produce prepared with thoughtful simplicity and delivered in an easygoing, casual and friendly way.”
Well, the chain is currently under fire for purportedly being anti-easygoing, non-casual and un-friendly, specifically to Asians. Ed Choi, creator of Asian Things, took to Instagram to share the wild number of messages he’s received detailing that Great White allegedly only sits Asians together and in a small corner. His initial social media post went so viral that Sam and Sam were forced to turn comments off on Great White’s Instagram channel and halt Yelp, Google, etc. reviews.
Choi then received even more messages from even more people sharing that Great White allegedly discriminates against blacks and hispanics too, so came back for more. According to Choi, a former employee shared that he/she was told to, “Limit the amount of ethnic looking people and only let in hot looking people.” He points out how the menu claims European, North American and Australian influence but is, by and large, Asian and South American inspired, shares more and more and more incriminating stories, ending with, “Like I said before: Patterns of Behavior are impossible to hide; your belief seep out of everything you do and every choice you make. You just have to be able to see them. And for Sam Trude and Sam Cooper of @greatwhite, it seems every decision they make seems to scream it very loudly. Oh, and Sams, for legal reasons, this is all alleged and my own opinions.”
Uh oh.
Great Whites really stepping in it this time.