A mother has shared her concerns about a menu item after eating out with her family at a Pizza Express restaurant. After taking her six-year-old out for a meal she noticed the Italian eatery was promoting 'Porn Star Martinis' on every table, which she felt was inappropriate.
The mother explained: "Why are Pizza Express advertising 'Porn Star Martinis' on every table at their restaurants? Am I being unreasonable to find this disgusting for a family restaurant? I don't really wish to explain to my 6 year old what it is."
She also added: "For what it's worth the staff also found it appalling and said they kept complaining to head office about it." This isn't the first time a family restaurant has come under fire for something like this, with a man criticising Pizza Hut for their sauce bottle that 'sounds like an app for swingers.'
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The Mumsnet user posted her question on the forum to gauge whether she was alone in her concerns, but other parents agreed. One user wrote: "I'm no prude but it's not the conversation you want whilst tucking into your pizza with your young one." Another added: "I hate the name of pornstar martini and couldn't even bring myself to ask for one. The connotations just disgust me to be honest.
"I wouldn't want it heavily advertised in a family restaurant. Couldn't care less if anyone thinks I'm a prude or whatever. The media is absolutely saturated with it and I'm sick of it tbh." Do you think the drink should be renamed? Let us know in the comments.
A third user wrote: "Urgh, how horrible. It's not just that it's inappropriate in a family setting and may provoke awkward questions from children (not all of whom are 6), and it's not just that it's related to sex - sex is great. It's the whole vibe of the term "porn star", as if it were something glamorous and aspirational, involving sipping cocktails and a luxury life... rather than a sordid, disgusting exploitation of women; many of whom may have been trafficked or have got into a situation they don't want to be in."
Others pointed out that they had noticed a different name being used for the drink when in a non-bar setting. A user shared: "I notice M&S rebranded theirs to Passion Star Martinis - apparently they were asked to do so by an industry body representing responsible drinking." Mumsnet users also highlighted that businesses such as Ask, Zizzi's, and Tesco have opted to call the drink a Passionfruit Martini.
Some came forward with a simple way to answer the tricky question by simply stating 'It's an alcoholic drink/cocktail/drink for adults' and move on. However the original poster complained that she really shouldn't have to deal with the question in the first place.
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