Yum Brands drops red star logo for bánh mì chain
The fast food company’s new chain selling ‘Saigon street food’ had a logo that looked like a communist star. Observers were not pleased.
Yum Brands has learned a lesson in cultural sensitivity after several people complained about the logo of its newest fast food foray, Bahn Shop.
Yum owns brands including Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut, and it sought to capitalize on the Vietnamese bánh mì craze with Bahn Shop, with stores in Dallas area. The problem was the logo it chose to represent the eatery featured a red star and the tagline, “Saigon street food.”
It doesn’t take a Vietnam War scholar to know that the red star was used as the symbol of the communist North Vietnamese regime. Saigon was the capital of South Vietnam.
The logo sparked reactions like this:
Wish #BanhShop knew how offensive it is to use a Communist red star in conjunction with the word Saigon. This Viet won’t visit.
— joyhays (@joyhays) September 17, 2014
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