The CutlineBankers boycott Batali for comparing them to Hitler at Time luncheon
At Time magazine's "Person of the Year" luncheon on Tuesday, celebrity chef Mario Batali--while discussing the possibility of choosing an "evil" figure for the honor this year--compared the banking industry to Hitler.
"They're as good as Stalin or Hitler in terms of evil guys," Batali said.
This apparently didn't sit well with bankers, who quickly organized a boycott of Batali's New York restaurants.
According to Eater.com's Amanda Kludt, the following message was disseminated by traders on Wednesday:
Celebrity Chef Mario Batali Says Bankers As Bad As Hitler, Stalin ... a list of his restaurants *B&B Ristorante *Osteria Mozza *Babbo *OTTO *Bar Jamon *Pizzeria Mozza *Carnevino Italian Steakhouse *Tarry Lodge *Casa Mono *Tarry Market *Del Posto *Mozza2Go *Esca *Manzo *Lupa Cancel all reservations.....pass the word.
Batali later apologized like many public figures do in the age of social media: on Twitter.
"It was never my intention to equate our banking industry with Hitler and Stalin," Batali wrote. "Two of the most evil, brutal dictators in modern history."
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