Billboard Wars: PETA, Jimmy's Famous Seafood exchange barbs on billboards

BALTIMORE -- Maryland is beloved and known for its blue crabs, but once again, an animal rights organization is beefing with Jimmy's Famous Seafood.

PETA got bold and put up a billboard near the restaurant in Dundalk in hopes to get Baltimoreans to reconsidered eating a long time local staple.

In 2019, PETA put up a billboard encouraging Marylanders to see the individual within crabs and go vegan. Jimmy's then responded with a sign of its own, and even created a beer titled "PETA Tears."

This time, PETA struck again, and brought religion into their latest stunt. 

The billboard put up by animal rights group PETA reads "I never lent you my flesh – go vegan!"

"I mean it's really weird because they're a huge corporation and we're just a family-owned business," Jimmy's Famous Seafood co-owner John Minadakis said. "But, you know, when we get hit, we definitely hit back hard."

Minadakis told WJZ he saw the billboard when he was driving to the restaurant after church a few weeks ago.

"I understand what they're doing," patron Michael Tish said. "They're just trying to pick a fight with the big guy in town and they're going to lose."

"Especially here in Maryland, crab is king," Minadakis said. "It always has been. It always will be. So anytime anybody comes for a Maryland staple like that, people are going to get their claws out."

In response, Jimmy's put up two billboards in front of their restaurant, and just a block away from PETA's diss on crabs or fish, which read "It'd be a sin to waste them, and they died to be enjoyed. Savor the sacrifice."

"The Jimmy's team seems to have a sense of humor, as do we, but they don't have a heart or the marketing wherewithal to realize that people are snapping up vegan vittles,"PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said.  "Instead of getting their claws out, they could join PETA's appeal to show kindness to fish during Lent and year-round by adding a tasty vegan option to the menu."

"I wish I had time to worry about a scrab of human feelings to a fish you know?" patron Todd Mickey said.

While the social media beef goes on, Jimmy's Famous Seafood has turned this dispute into a chance to continue its documented philanthropy for protection of animals by selling sarcastic t-shirts that makes its own acronym for PETA.

And all of the proceeds from sales will benefit the Saving Grace Animal Rescue of Maryland.

"I actually adopted my puppy from Saving Grace, so they're very near to my heart and we got some other surprises planned too," Minadakis said.