Mayor tells people to avoid coffee shop because name ‘cheapens’ his Alabama city

Along the southernmost part of Alabama, the city of Orange Beach spans 32 miles of “pristine beaches” along the Gulf Shore, offering visitors the chance for a “perfect beach vacation,” its tourist website boasts.

But city officials are warning that the “ultimate beach destination” may be facing a new threat: a coffee shop with a controversial name.

Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii is a chain with 24 operating locations located across the country, including in Hawaii, Colorado, Florida and Kentucky. The coffee shop is opening a franchise in Orange Beach in September, the company’s senior vice president of marketing, Chris Ruszkowski, told McClatchy News.

Although Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii has been approved to open next month, the franchise is facing pushback from city leaders and residents.

During an Aug. 16 city council meeting that was livestreamed on Facebook, the mayor and other leaders argued that the shop’s profane name will cheapen the city’s brand.

“I don’t think we’re prudes by any means. But there’s no reason for any type of something I wouldn’t want my 8- or 9-year-old to see to be on a public sign in our town,” Mayor Tony Kennon said. “It shows they have no respect for us. No respect for what we stand for, what we market, what our brand is. They’re just here to make a buck.”

Another council member called the shop’s name “heartbreaking.”

Since the council can not stop the shop from opening, members encouraged people to avoid the shop.

“Just don’t give them any business, and they will not stay open if they don’t have business,” one member said.

Despite the recent resistance from Orange Beach, Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii is looking forward to its opening in Alabama, Ruszkowski said. The Orange Beach location is owned and operated by a local woman who has lived in the area for years, and she is excited to offer the popular spot to residents and visitors, as well as to provide jobs within the community.

“It’s a local business owner that is putting her savings into opening the Orange Beach County (location),” Ruszkowski said. “It is her business. We are the franchise brand, but as it is her that is investing in that community.”

The shop’s name is has historical and cultural roots in Hawaii, inspired by Hawaiian donkeys who aided Hawaiian islanders, Ruszkowski said. Over the years, as donkeys helped islanders carry coffee beans down steep mountains, islanders started calling the animals “bad ass ones.”

Beyond its name, the coffee shop offers great food and drink and is an opportunity to build community, Ruszkowski said.

“Maybe once they have the coffee, they’ll realize that it’s a warm, welcoming environment, great food and coffee options, a good place to meet have meetings. ... We’re very open to everyone.”

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