A British caterer was criticized publicly and subsequently apologized on Tuesday after naming a plant-based hot dog on their menu the “Anne Frankfurter” after Holocaust victim Anne Frank.
The Viva Veggie Van, a plant-based caterer near Birmingham, England, was slated to offer catering at a local brewery over the weekend of December 16th to December 18th. Those plans were scrapped a few days beforehand after both the caterer and brewery faced social media backlash.
The Anne Frankfurter? Really Viva Veggie?!I’d think twice before hosting this on your patch @brumbrewery pic.twitter.com/4Rnu4pbK9t
— Nathan Judah (@NathanJudah) December 13, 2022
“We did not have sight of the menu before it was published and agree that the name of one of the dishes is totally inappropriate,” the Brum Brewery announced on Twitter before confirming that the caterer will no longer be participating as scheduled.
“We never meant to upset anyone”
Maria Finn, the owner of Viva Veggie Van, apologized for the insensitive menu item name, telling the Jewish Chronicle that she is not “a controversial person” and “never meant to upset anyone.”
“I can’t believe what’s happened, It was just playing with words, something to stand out, this business is me and my daughter.”
Finn explained that this was going to be Viva Veggie Van’s first official event since starting the business after getting laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We just wanted to do a small event before Christmas, we’ve ordered all our food now and there are no other festivals this weekend for us to sell at. I'm very disappointed," Finn told the Jewish Chronicle.
She also attempted to back up the naming of the dish, saying: "Anne Frank was from Germany, from Frankfurt, and she didn’t eat meat."
Anne Frank grew up in Amsterdam, Netherlands and wrote her famed diary in Dutch. It is unclear whether or not she was a vegetarian, though there is not much evidence to support that claim.
“I'm honestly baffled as to how anybody can think calling an item on their catering menu 'The Anne Frankfurter' would be acceptable,” Sky News reporter Josh Gafson opined on Twitter.
I'm honestly baffled as to how anybody can think calling an item on their catering menu 'The Anne Frankfurter' would be acceptable. https://t.co/B36DELcebt
— Josh Gafson (@JoshGafson1) December 13, 2022
"To use the name of a Holocaust victim as a marketing ploy will never be appropriate,” Karen Pollock CBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, declared in a statement.