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Owner speaks out after 9/11 themed bar sparks outrage
The owner of a 9/11 themed bar in the Dallas area of the US has spoken out defiantly in defence of his venue after a recent Twitter post drew widespread outrage.
Bar9Eleven in Fort Worth has been in operation since 2013, when its owner, Brent Johnson, decided to theme it after the tragedy of the 9/11 attacks.
The Rio Mambo Tex Mex y Mas restaurant to which the bar is attached opened on the same day of the September 11 attacks in 2001, and during a remodelling of his business more than a decade later, Johnson said he decided to name the bar after 9/11 so diners “won’t forget”, per the Daily Mail.
Pointing out the name of the venue and some of its features on social media, Twitter user Jesse Tyler wrote, “Drove by this bar and though “huh I wonder what that’s about”. Turns out it’s about exactly what you think”.
Drove by this bar and though “huh I wonder what that’s about”. Turns out it’s about exactly what you think pic.twitter.com/5zIKLZWJIs
— Jesse Tyler (@jessebtyler) May 18, 2021
“Blown away by this work of creative nonfiction depicting the owner of a tex mex restaurant in north texas as the main character of our nation’s darkest day.” He wrote in a follow-up tweet.
“So many questions. Does this place get a lot of business? Do they realize it’s not paying tribute but exploiting the day? People man”, one Twitter user commented.
“Are you supposed to get drunk and think about 9/11?” Another baffled commenter added.
After widespread criticism of the bar on Twitter, Johnson told the Daily Mail that he is not bothered about his detractors.
“The only people who say that are people who don’t know me and are not from Fort Worth,” he told the publication.
The bar owner said that people in the local area “know me and understand what purpose was behind it.”
“It’s really really simple,” the 62-year-old Johnson continued.
“I opened my restaurant on the most tragic day of my life. 9/11 was just a very tragic day for our country.
‘It was very somber and it’s become a sacred day for all of us.”
“We were remodeling the bar so I said ‘We’re not going to forget. And people who come into this restaurant aren’t going to forget’.”