Late-night munchies ad not going over well for New Jersey sandwich shop

Toni Yates Image
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
'Munchies' ad not going over so well for sandwich shop
Toni Yates has more on the ad that is causing some controversy in New Jersey.

BELLEVILLE, New Jersey (WABC) -- An ad on social media, made to appeal to the loyal customers of a sandwich shop in New Jersey, may find themselves with a case of the late-night munchies. In the ad, 'Santa Claus' passing out baggies filled with ground-up green leaves is not going over well with some people in the town of Belleville.

The ad encourages people to go to 'Fat House' if they get the side effects of having the munchies.

"We cater to a late-night crowd, and since we open late, 90 percent of our customers smoke recreationally, we want to cater to them," says owner Elven Espinar.

The video raised the blood of people like Belleville activist GeorgeAnn Polite, who went on the site and wrote, 'racial stereotypes, really?'

"First of all, we have two issues. Marijuana is still illegal in New Jersey. Second are negative stereotypes depicted in the video," says Polite.

All of 'Santa's' deliveries are to African Americans - the video was shot near the Garden Spires Public Housing Complex seven miles away in Newark.

Espinar says he has heard that some Belleville officials are upset about his video, and that he is going to town hall to try to smooth things over.