As if Dallas didn’t already have a bad rap for the size of its citizens, the Heart Attack Grill will soon make sure our city stays on “Men’s Health” Annual List of Fattest Cities.
Opening May 13 downtown, this new grill will give you and your arteries something to talk about. Options on the menu include a Quadruple Bypass Burger and Flatliner Fries deep-fried in pure lard. Don’t forget to wash everything down with a nice cold Butterfat Milkshake, which is advertised to contain the world’s highest butterfat content.
Seeing these descriptions on a menu alarms anyone with an elementary education. I find the employee doctor and nurse uniforms and restaurant motto “Taste Worth Dying For,” most disturbing. This unethical company has created quite a buzz with its goals and policies. According to its website, www.heartattackgrill.com, if you weigh over 350 pounds, you eat for free.
When Dallas Morning News reporter Melissa Repko interviewed owner Jon Basso, he claimed “he’s fighting obesity with ‘shock value.'” Basso’s 600-pound spokesman, Blair River, died earlier this month at the young age of 29. Basso responded by saying, “You knew he wasn’t going to hit 80.”
This surreal scenario will soon become a little too real for our city. I strongly believe that an establishment such as this should not be allowed to have its doors open for business. When deciding to open a restaurant, an owner should assume responsibility for the food being served on their tables. Ethics go against all policies Basso has implemented at the grill.
What confuses me the most is lack of government intervention. On the Dallas Food Protection and Education Division website you will find that their restaurant inspection division “aims to promote healthy people and healthy communities through education and regulation of food service establishments.” If this mission statement was actually implemented, the Heart Attack Grill would not stand a chance of getting permit to operate its business.
Thinking about the other side of the situation, many believe it should be the responsibility of the individual person to choose what food he puts into his body. Yes, this is a valid point, but allowing restaurants with such an immoral message to open its doors in our city only encourages obesity.
Basso loves the attention he receives from opening a restaurant with such a racy message. Currently, Basso has been in contact with TV networks to shoot a reality show about his business. Most networks have declined his offer because of the message the show sends. I think a restaurant owner that cares more about fame and fortune and less about the quality of the food should not have a permit to operate his business in our city.
With Dallas’ current problem of obesity, I believe we need to stand together and choose to not to dine at the Heart Attack Grille. If the restaurant receives no business, it will be forced to close its doors. Of course, everyone indulges from time- to-time and eats food with high-calorie and fat content, and I think we should. But to open a restaurant that encourages its customers to get to a weight that can lead to death should not be considered ethical.
Rachel McCartha is a sophomore communications studies and advertising double major. She can be reached for comments or questions at [email protected].
