Barely *checks watch* fourteen hours after finding out theming a bar around the Vietnam War in a suburb with a strong Vietnamese community, let alone in 2021, the team behind Rickshaw Bar has posted an apology on Instagram.
After completely obliterating its social media channels and website, Rickshaw Bar posted a short apology to anyone who was offended, distressed, or found the bar’s direction and theme “inappropriate” – possibly the understatement of the year.
The post also said the bar’s team is revising its tone and are “working hard to make this right”, which at this point probably involves a completely starting over, to be honest.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMOnKYvjZGs/
Liminal Magazine, a Melbourne-based magazine that focuses on Asian-Australian people and stories, was the first to point out the blatant racism and sheer insensitivity in a series of tweets on Wednesday morning, calling the new space “horrific”.
Imagine a war where over a million people died, & then imagine deciding to create an aesthetic out of it, to sell cocktails filled with bullet shells, with an Agent Orange theme.
Welcome to ‘Rickshaw Bar’, now open in Melbourne. This is Australia. pic.twitter.com/jisjdexmPn
— L I M I N A L (@liminalmag) March 9, 2021
In a year where anti-Asian racism has risen dramatically, this bar has opened *in Richmond*, a suburb with a strong Vietnamese population, including people who would have *literally fled this war*. This is horrific. pic.twitter.com/iWSzTRWvSp
— L I M I N A L (@liminalmag) March 9, 2021
The bar, which only launched recently, had an orange and black colour palette – assumed a nod to the Agent Orange chemical warfare used in the Vietnam War – and promoted the bar with imagery of Vietnamese men and women, and war evacuations like Operation Frequent Wind. The bar also claimed it would have firearms shells throughout the space, and posted up pints of beer with bullet casings in it.
In a statement to Broadsheet, Rickshaw Bar said it didn’t intend to upset the community, and will be revisiting the fit-out before considering opening again.
“We are saddened that our creative concept for our cool little bar has caused upset in the community, it was never intended this way,” the statement said.
“Upon reflection, we have decided to revisit the fit-out for the venue and will make some changes to ensure Rickshaw Bar is a fun and friendly venue for people to come and enjoy our hospitality.”
