Muslim Woman Offended by One Word on Restaurant's Sign. Owners Take It Down. And the Word Was...

In Winooski, Vermont, city officials like to involve local businesses in its efforts to keep flower beds healthy and thriving in town.

The deal is that if shops help with gardening, they can post advertisements for their services in those same spots, noted WPTZ-TV in Burlington.

So after Sneakers Bistro & Cafe kicked in for "Operation Bloom" at the bottom of the Winooski Circle, the restaurant put a bright yellow sign on a lamp post telling drivers to "Yield for Bacon" at Sneakers.

Image source: WPTZ-TV

Soon a discussion about diversity was underway on the Winooski Front Porch Forum, highlighted by one woman who wrote that the sign was insensitive to those who don't consume pork — and as a Muslim she's offended by it, WPTZ reported.

Once the bistro owners found out about the complaint, they told the station they reached out to the woman and then took the sign down.

WPTZ added that the owners also said they regret any harm caused by the sign — and that their goal never was to cause stress or bad feelings.

Not that Winooski townsfolk harbored similar concerns.

"It's nice that they were respectful enough to take it down," area resident Caleb Wiley told WPTZ, "but I also think they shouldn't have, or had to at any rate."

A post on the Front Porch Forum insisted that the word "bacon" isn't offensive, as it simply describes food.

Wiley was more direct: "I respect her religion and her right to believe what she wants but I'm pretty sure the first amendment extends to bacon and the selling of it."

Likewise comments on social media overwhelmingly hammered Sneakers owners for taking down the sign:

Image source: Twitter

The Winooski Islamic Community Center was not available for comment, WPTZ reported.