Aussie Pub Hit With Anti-Discrimination Complaint Over Chicken Parmi Joke

The manager of an Australian pub has revealed their shock and dismay after a customer lodged a complaint.

But the complaint wasn't about the food or customer service, it was about a joke written on a sign. It also wasn't just your standard complaint, it was sent to The Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Commission

The Litchfield Motel's Little Ripper Cafe Bar and Bistro wrote 'how do you like your breasts' on a sign as a promotion for their chicken schnitzels and parmigianas.

However, someone took issue with the cheeky slogan and has made an anti-discrimination complaint with NT officials.

The Motel's manager Roisin McElwee told The NT News she was shocked at the upset.

"We don't want to offend people but we don't see how a play on words, a pun that relates to chicken breasts and the toppings that go on your parmis has so much of an effect they go to anti-discrimination," she said.

"It was brought to light as a talking point, a second glance sort of thing that makes you turn and go 'ha, look at that'."

Roisin even asked two breast cancer survivors if they were offended by the joke and they said no.

"We're really upset, really hurt by it because we're a new business venture starting up in a very hard year and then for something so small that is a humorous thing, a play on words, it's actually quite hurtful," she said.

"The magnitude is very minimal compared to what's going on in the world. All my family in England are in lockdown ... count your blessings rather than picking on a small family business."

But she's decided to cop it on the chin and instead has turned it into a force for good.

The Motel is now going to donate $1 for every schnitzel and parmigiana sold to breast cancer research during next month.

While she would rather not have the threat of an anti-discrimination complaint looming, she's far happier doing something for the wider community.

The Motel will keep the breast joke sign up as there's no legislation that requires them to take it down. They now have to decide whether they think the complaint is warranted.

Featured Image Credit: Tristan Kenney (Flickr)

Topics: Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie