Restaurant asks public to name new burger – picks pun on notorious criminal

FOOD
Restaurant names new burger the 'Purple Teriyaki' after notorious criminal known for touching young men's muscles

Looks quite nice

Boats, tractors... burgers. When something new and exciting rolls onto the scene, coming up with a name can be a taxing affair.

These days, it's considered fashionable to ask the public. Usually via social media. It's much cheaper than paying for a creative agency. So when Solita Bar and Grill conjured up a new burger, the restaurant thought it fitting to ask its fan base for help.

Solita, a small Manchester chain that the Mirror knows well – in 2015 we named its Manc-Hattan burger the best in the country – puts on weekly specials.

This week's sustenance is made from a '7oz teriyaki beef patty, pickled Japanese veg, spring onions, lettuce, and sriracha.' Decent. All that is served in a black sesame seed bun and will cost you £13.90.

Solita asked for a name. The public chose the 'Purple Teriyaki'.

If you fail to see the significance of the above identity, we'll briefly explain.

The name is a meaty hat tip to the bizarre and rather unsavoury life of bodybuilder Akinwale Arobieke, 54. He's been convicted of harassment and witness intimidation, and is better known by the nickname 'Purple Aki', which he – quite rightly – says is racist.

Arobieke was until a 2016 BBC Three documentary, which cast him into the national spotlight, notorious in Liverpool and Manchester for approaching young, well-built men and feeling their muscles.

He has been the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO), which he has in the past breached, and has been described as a modern-day 'bogeyman'.

It would be fair to suggest, therefore, that naming a burger after Arobieke, or 'Purple Aki', is a tad offensive.