When Isabelle Jolie finally opens her French-Vietnamese restaurant in Keene, New Hampshire, the line to get in will probably wrap around the block after all the attention it’s getting. That is, if diners can find it.
City Manager Elizabeth Dragon has asked Jolie to remove the sign hanging outside, saying she never got permission. However, the restaurateur claims it’s because the city “deemed our business name as offensive and a permanent sign with our business name, will not be allowed.”
The name in question: Pho Keene Great, which makes a play on words with the pronunciation of both the dish and city.
Jolie has posted her battle with the city in a social media post, adding a poll on the offensiveness of the sign. So far 3,400 are cool with it, while 117 not so much.
Who do you see being victorious in this battle? Should the city have the right to force her not to advertise her restaurant? What’s the balance?
