‘Colonial ties’ spark outcry

The city's third British-owned Pizza Marzano outlet apologized last night to customers for printing its location as within the "French Concession" on promotion flyers, while local authorities said they were looking into whether the high-end restaurant had done anything wrong.

The incident that sparked public outcry from hundreds of people online Sunday was ignited by a complaint from a customer who saw the brochures at its newest location in the city on Yongjia Road last week - refusing to eat at the pizza joint that improperly referred to the former French concession, a downtown area that was occupied by the French from 1849 to 1943.

"The term is colonial and greatly hurts our self-esteem and pride," the customer, surnamed Yuan, told local media. "How dare they use the term in a commercial advertisement."

The company said in a written statement Sunday evening that all flyers had been since removed and promised to refund the customer's charges, saying that it was sorry for the oversight made by "an English company, mainly run by a British management team unfamiliar with Chinese culture."

It emphasized that restaurant staff never meant to offend Chinese national sentiments, saying that the term had only been used to describe the location and not to cause negative connotations despite staff earlier spinning a different story.

The assistant manager, who preferred to be named as Qiu, said Sunday - before the statement was issued - that the restaurant had never printed such brochures.

"We are being wronged and have reported to the case to senior management," he told the Global Times late Sunday afternoon.

The newest location of the restaurant chain owned by the UK's PizzaExpress opened prior to Spring Festival, using flyers that read: "Now Open: Pizza Marzano French Concession," according to a photo widely spread online Sunday. A minute minority of respondents last night had accepted the restaurant's apology, saying that "it's common for foreigners to be unfamiliar with Chinese culture."

Xuhui district's commerce and industry bureau, which is handling the investigation, said Sunday that officers had been sent to Pizza Marzano's new store as well as its Xintiandi location, but found no such flyers. However, the case remains under investigation, it said.

According to Chinese law, advertisement content is supposed to be reported and reviewed by the local authorities prior to publication. If the restaurant printed the flyers without first seeking approval, they risk punishment, said Cheng Shi'an, an advertising professor at Fudan University.

"What's worse is that the restaurant allegedly used a false term, which is contrary to fact and could be seen to cause mental or emotional harm to Chinese people, while putting national interests at risk," she told the Global Times Sunday.

The case follows that of a local real estate company, which was fined 64,500 yuan ($10,255) in 2001, after printing a slogan that read: "The old, romantic days of the French Concession remain."