Bad Ass Coffee wasn't badass enough to stick to its guns.
In Thousand Oaks, the ear-catching coffeehouse now goes by the name Royal Aloha Coffee -- a moniker described by one business owner as "so vanilla," he couldn't even remember it. It's tough to forget "bad ass." It's easy to forget whatever they're calling it now.
Apparently in Thousand Oaks, it's better to be vanilla than to use a word as incredibly offensive as (cover your eyes) "ass."
The chain, which has 53 U.S. locations, has been under fire nationwide, the Ventura County Star reported.
In Alabama, some people -- obviously on hiatus from health care protests -- picketed the store. In Arizona, there were even threats of a boycott.
But so far, only the Thousand Oaks location has changed its name.
In the coffee wars, any disadvantage can be a big disadvantage.
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Owner, Narinder Kumar, told the Ventura County Star that he changed the name "to make the community happy."
Even before the name change though, Kumar received few complaints from the community -- however, he told the newspaper, "I believe a lot of people won't come to the coffee shop because of the name."
Perhaps those people should check out badasscoffee.com, which conveniently explains the brand's non-offensive history:
"The native people of Kona, Hawaii, remember the days of the 'Bad Ass Ones.' The bellows of the donkeys could be heard echoing through the mountains as they hauled the heavy loads of coffee up and down the mountainside. In honor of these hard working donkeys, we named our coffee company. The legend of the Kona Nightingale lives on right here at The Bad Ass Coffee Company."
You see, protestors, "ass" can also mean "donkey." Take for example, "Bad Ass Coffee."
And for those still confused, we recommend picking up a dictionary or perhaps reading the Bible. Fair warning though: Both of those books contain offensive language.
