Ellen's restaurant[1] in downtown Dallas never expected a boycott — and the threats that followed — when adding a short statement to the bottom of customers' receipts for a few days.
The statement said the restaurant would be donating a portion of the week's proceeds to organizations "dedicated to implementing reasonable and effective gun regulations."
The statement was followed with a "Welcome to Dallas!"
The restaurant was welcoming members of the National Rifle Association to the annual NRA meeting in Dallas[2], held May 3-6.
The NRA found out about the receipt on May 4 — and posted about it to Twitter[3]:
"Attn @AnnualMeetings attendees. Steer clear of Ellen’s in downtown Dallas! Why go there when there are so many other great choices. #sorrynotsorry #StandAndFight #DefendTheSecond"
That same day, Ellen's took to Facebook[4] to clarify the "issue that has caused quite a bit of confusion and anxiety."
Attached to the post was a photo of an updated receipt — one that said the portion of proceeds will go toward organizations "dedicated to implementing reasonable and effective gun regulations" while still protecting Second Amendment rights.
Ellen's said it intended to donate some proceeds toward efforts funding "common ground and compromise in the fight to eliminate needless gun violence, especially in our schools and against our dedicated police officers."
But the restaurant had shortened what was meant due to a limited number of characters, according to the post[5].
"What was not expected was that those two words -- reasonable and effective -- would be misinterpreted as
