A popular pizza chain in the Washington, D.C. area is facing backlash after launching a new dessert item earlier this week themed around former D.C. Mayor the late Marion Barry’s infamous narcotics arrest.
A local franchise of &Pizza announced the addition of powdered, berry-filled pastry knots dubbed “Marion Berry Knots,” launching them during an event at Hive Hotel. Soon after, city leaders and members began to call for a boycott of the fast-casual chain, leading them to pull the item from the menu.
Leading up to the launch, the dessert knots were teased as a “new, secret menu item inspired by none other than the city’s vibrant political scene,” Eater Washington DC reported. From there, the marketing for the misguided treat became more direct. According to Eater, a release said, “The Marion Berry Knots have enough powdered sugar that will have customers bumping elbows to order and even force the DEA to look twice.”
Per DC News Now, additional marketing language boasted that the knots “may not be the perfect dessert, but they’re the perfect dessert for D.C.”
Promotional images included a shot of a silver tray covered in a mound of white powder.
The marketing ploy referenced the infamous 1990 arrest of then-Mayor Marion Barry for using crack cocaine, ultimately leading to a possession conviction and six months in prison for the politician. In the three decades since, this legacy continues to be a complicated one for many in the region, especially the Black community and Barry’s family.
On Monday, Barry’s widow, Cora Masters Barry, spoke with DC News Now about the distasteful dessert.
“I just think it’s racist. In this city, it is outrageously racist,” she told the outlet, adding, “It’s racist and disrespectful.”
In a post on X also made Monday, At-Large D.C. Councilmember Christina Henderson said, “This isn’t clever marketing [&Pizza]. It’s tone-deaf and hella disrespectful.”
On Tuesday, Ward 8 council member Trayon White called for a boycott in a post on Instagram for the “shameless and tasteless exploitation of Marion S. Barry’s legacy.”
After &Pizza CEO Mike Burns initially made statements seemingly brushing off the mounting controversy in the Washington Post and Washingtonian magazine, on Wednesday, community leaders held a rally and press conference. Organizers used the hashtag #KNOTINDC while Don’t Mute DC’s Ronald Moten gave an impassioned speech.
“We just want you to know that we’re coming as a united front. This ain’t one person. This ain’t two persons. This [is] not black. This [is] not white. This is Washington, D.C. and we here to tell you: not in D.C.,” Moten said, according to Eater.
Later Wednesday, Burns ultimately apologized in a statement, vowing to reach out to community leaders to learn how he could better work with them in the future.
“While humor was our intent, it was regrettably off the mark,” Burns wrote. “The parody of the former Mayor and portrayal of substance abuse was wrong. We have read the countless messages and social media posts and understand the frustration this has brought forth — especially to the Barry family.”