Restaurant's "Pablo Escoburger" Served With Line Of White Powder, Rolled-Up Dollar Bill

Eric Vandeville/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
By  Gwen Ihnat

People seem to be easily offended these days, but this restaurant's shtick might warrant the outrage: A restaurant named Pablo's Escoburgers in Melbourne, Australia has adapted the notorious Colombian drug lord (known as the King Of Cocaine) as its theme, right down to its menu items. "The Patron Burger," describes The Daily Mail, "features a line of white garlic powder on top of the bun." Other burger accessories include "a rolled up fake American $100 note and a clear plastic bag filled with more garlic powder and a spoon."

Yum? Unsurprisingly, the burger has gained the bar considerable notoriety, even though the restaurant owners say they're just "taking the piss" out of the drug lord. While some say that the restaurant is glorifying and making light of drug use ("Come get high off of my burgers," a drawing of Escobar coaxes on a flyer), the restaurant proclaims in a statement titled "Not Here To Offend": "We are very proud of our burgers but we do also understand that Pablo Escobar was a horrible man who destroyed the lives of thousands of Colombians." But a January 24 FB post also states, "Lovers love our burgers and haters are always going to hate! Not all Colombians are going to love our name but they all love our burgers." An earlier post describes people lined up to taste the Patron Burger.

On one hand, no bad publicity, etc., etc. On the other, surely there is a better person out there to be honored with their very own burger—one who would not require drug-themed accessories.

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