CARL’S JR.: Toilet Killed in Shooting, Memorial Service Set
January 22, 2009 by Sean Kelly
Filed under Business
Does silliness sell burgers? How about bathroom gunfire? A Utah Carl’s Jr. hopes so. After a customer’s legally registered handgun accidentally discharged and destroyed their restroom’s toilet, the local Carl’s Jr. – assumedly hoping to capitalize on the ensuing publicity – issued a press release announcing a memorial service for the fallen commode. It reads:
CENTERVILLE, Utah — January 22, 2009 — Following the accidental shooting and destruction of a toilet at a Carl’s Jr. restaurant in
Centerville, Utah, the hamburger chain announced that a memorial service for the toilet will be held at the location on Fri., January 30. Last week, a customer, who had a concealed weapons permit to carry a handgun, was pulling up his pants in the Carl’s Jr. restroom when the gun fell out of his holster, discharged and destroyed the toilet. No one was hurt in the accident, other than the defenseless toilet.
Previous coverage can be viewed at The Salt Lake Tribune http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_11451417?source=rss.
“By all accounts, it was a good toilet; reliable and well liked by customers and crew members alike,” said Brad Haley, executive vice president of Carl’s Jr. marketing. “So, it seems only fitting to have a formal service to let everyone say goodbye to such a critical member of our team that was in very close contact with the public each and every day. Our thoughts go out to the surviving men’s room urinal and porcelain sink. We only hope that the new toilet can fill the void left by its predecessor, but so far it hasn’t made much of a splash.”
“It was such a shame,” said Centerville Carl’s Jr. manager, Christian Martinez. “We have received e-mails and cards from all over the country expressing condolences for our loss. People will have the chance to say goodbye in their own way at the memorial service, and we’ll be handing out bottles of Kaboom® Bowl Blaster toilet cleaner to the first 50 attendees. It was the toilet’s favorite.”
We learned about the incident from an announcement that came across the @FranchisePick Twitter feed, issued by @CarlsJr.
While tragic, I would anticipate that the wait time for Carl’s Jr. bathrooms will cut down considerably, at least in Utah.
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Photo credit: Carl’s Jr. PR
Mourners pay respects to slain toilet at FaceBook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carls-Jr/91702965455
Thanks for the post Sean! “John” will be missed. We should give him a 21 bun salute at the memorial service.
Poor John… he looked so flush! I’m sure he hated to leave your customers behind…
I guess “bathroom humor” pays off if it brings more customers into eat and see the famous “john.”
I remember many years ago when a local retailer of women’s clothes had a sale ad in the newspapers for “pants suits” but, unfortunately, or fortunately, whatever, the “u” in the suits was mistyped as an “h” —-
T’was a fun day as I remember and business really picked up for a few days. S…t happens!
Seems like a bit of a stretch to create a gag out of this situation… seeing as though some idiot really did drop a gun which discharged and could have killed himself, a kid or someone else.
Jeez… Perhaps Carl’s Jr. can present him with a gift certificate for a gun safety course so he can learn where the SAFETY is located before he blows his wee-wee off ( I will NOT attend that service).