Restaurant owner apologizes for 'thoughtless and unacceptable' Instagram post

Wellington Diner owner apologizes The owner of the popular restaurant apologized after an old social media post resurfaced. CTV's Catherine Lathem reports.

The owner of an Ottawa restaurant is apologizing for sharing an image online that he says hindered anti-racism efforts in the city.

A 2016 post on the Instagram account of the Wellington Diner contains an image of a sandwich board bearing the message “Eating two strips of bacon for breakfast reduces your chance of being a suicide bomber by 100%.”

The post also contains the message “#donttakeyourselfsoseriously.” The photo does not appear to have been taken at the diner.

Restaurant owner Jeffrey Frost tweeted a statement on Wednesday, in which he said he regrets sharing a post that “perpetuated offensive stereotypes.”

“The post was hurtful, and it sets back the work that many in Ottawa are doing to try to counter the harm that racism does in our city,” he said.

“It was thoughtless and unacceptable and I sincerely apologize to the Muslim community and anyone else who was offended by the image.”

The National Council of Canadian Muslims says it “warmly welcomes” the apology.

With files from CTV Ottawa