This Burrito Chain Is Offending Thousands Of People With Its Name

Pete Turner says he got his childhood nickname “Illegal Pete” thanks to his delinquent nature growing up. When he took that name and slapped it in front of his burrito chain, however, it garnered some negative attention.

AZPM reports that Illegal Pete’s, primarily based in Colorado, will open its eighth location in Tucson, AZ. The population of Tucson, a third of whom are Hispanic, aren’t too keen on the name of their new burrito spot.

A group of University of Arizona students started an online petition for Turner to change the name of his restaurant. The students, partnered with Latino activist group MECha, have already collect more than 2,000 signatures.

Essentially, they’re giving Turner the choice of changing the name or facing a “full-scale boycott” of his burrito empire.

Turner insists that the name of his restaurant hails from him and his father, also named Pete, being “lawbreakers” and “hell raisers” in their youth. The students and activists, however, believe that Turner is using the connotations of the name to create a clever brand and profit from racism and ignorance.

Currently, Turner has no plans to change the name of his restaurants.