Twitter Is Outraged Over A 9/11-Themed Restaurant Menu

There are some things you may be able to joke about after a few years have passed, but the Sept. 11, 2001 tragedies are likely never going to be one of them. It's the day that took nearly 3,000 lives as planes hijacked by the terrorist group al Qaeda crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon near Washington D.C. (per History). A final plane was taken back over by passengers and dove into a nearby field in Philadelphia, as people aboard the aircraft had the chance to see the news before takeoff and wanted to prevent further heartbreak. Unfortunately, none of the good Samaritans survived.

Yesterday was the 21st anniversary of the dreaded day, one that many Americans (and people from all over the world) mourn annually. Due to this, it was hard for Twitter users to grasp what the intentions were when the Clubhouse restaurant at Aquia Harbour in Stafford, Virginia served a Patriot Day 2022 menu Sunday, per People. This is especially true when considering the Virginia restaurant's proximity to the Pentagon attack. Although it has since been deleted, the internet was definitely in a tizzy when the restaurant posted the menu online.

The owner claimed he was raising awareness

Twitter users were completely stunned when they came across the Clubhouse restaurant at Aquia Harbour's Patriot Day 2022 menu. One Twitter user wrote, "I'd really like to know what the ... owner of this restaurant in Virginia was thinking making a 9/11 themed menu," along with a screenshot. Menu items included Pentagon Pie, First Responder Flatbread, a Remember-tini, and the Never Forget Sampler. The Sampler came with several aforementioned items along with two cups of 2977 Chowder, a Flight 93 Redirect Crab Dip, and a Freedom Flounder with side items.

Several other Twitter users were unhappy with this, too. One user wrote, "A restaurant in Virginia using a 9/11 themed menu? Trash. Pure trash. 9/11 is NOT to be joked about. Period." Another Tweet claimed they saw it coming, but perhaps not so soon. "I've said for years that 9/11 would eventually transmute into what all patriotic-coded American holidays are, excuses to drink and eat. Just can't believe it took 21 years," they commented.

According to Daily Mail, restaurant owner George White issued an apology on a Facebook community page. "I apologize for those I offended with the 9/11 seafood Sunday post. My intention was to bring attention to that horrific day 21 years ago. To honor those who lost so much as well those who gave everything that day," he wrote. The restaurant then updated the online menu to reflect a football theme.