Staten Island Restaurant Drops Drink Named 'Roofie Colada' After Complaints
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A Staten Island restaurant has decided to drop and rename a dessert drink called the "Roofie Colada" from its menu, after complaints about the name referencing the infamous date rape drug.
The Phunky Elephant Gastropub, at 1271 Bay St. in the Rosebank section of Staten Island, had given the name to a dessert drink made with coffee ice cream, fried doughnuts, Kahlua, vanilla vodka, caramel, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream, according to a DNAInfo report.
DNAInfo wrote that in advertising the drink on its Facebook page, the restaurant joked, "For the record, you know there aren't any date rape drugs in the dessert right?"
Published reports said the "Roofie Colada" reference was intended to be an homage to the "Family Guy" animated comedy series. But the name "roofie" itself is a reference to Rohypnol, which has been infamous for many years as a date rape drug used to incapacitate people and facilitate sexual assault.
Many customers did not think the name of the drink was funny at all.
"Even with all that whipped cream you can't make a rape joke palatable. Roofie Colada = Not Funny," Lauren Marie wrote on the Facebook page for the restaurant.
In response to the comments, the restaurant issued a statement on its Facebook page, saying the item will be removed temporarily from the menu and the name will be changed.
"The Phunky Elephant is a place with a unique atmosphere. We treat our guests with the utmost respect and we are always open to feedback to make our restaurant a welcoming and comfortable place with a touch of humor and quirkiness. We certainly did not intend to create an impression of reckless or negligent behavior by presenting the desert at question to our guests nor did we mean to make anyone feel uncomfortable or insulted.
"This dessert name was simply a homage to an adult cartoon and there was no malice. We obviously do not support date rape or any sort of violence for that matter. We humbly apologize if we have offended anyone and we appreciate the community around us and its awareness toward the cause," the statement continued. "Please be advised that the dessert is currently off the menu until it is appropriately renamed."
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