Vietnamese Community Angered By Communist Star Likeness On Taco Bell Company's New Banh Mi Shop
(CBS) - Yum Brands, the operator of Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut is hoping that a Vietnamese sandwich shop will be its next big brand. And while the food at Banh Shop is getting some favorable reviews online, the chain's logo is not.
The design, which appears both on storefronts and on the brand website is a simple black circle emblazoned with a red star. The red star, along with the hammer and sickle, were symbols of the communist movement dating back nearly 100 years.
Vietnam has remained under communist rule since U.S. involvement there ended. Following the Vietnam war, hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese citizens fled the communist rule in the country, many losing their lives in the process. The country still carries a flag with communist roots, a yellow star on a red background.
On social media, many have questioned the branding of the sandwich chain.
Many comments have focused on the menu item Saigon "Street Stall" Corn Cup, noting that the company is associating a communist symbol with a city that fell to the Viet Cong and was later renamed for communist leader Ho Chi Minh.
The following thoughts were left on the brand's Facebook page.
"Please consider changing your logo. This is not the right way to represent Vietnamese cuisine in USA. It's very offensive to our community," said Duy Anh.
"Please make a change in the logo. My grandfather was a prisoner of war for 10 years," said Brandon Tran.
Yum Brands has yet to respond publicly to the calls for a logo change.
