DAYTON, Ohio (WKEF) — A handful of social media posts have sparked backlash against The Food Pitt, prompting some Dayton-area event organizers and business leaders to distance themselves from the food truck while its owners say they are taking responsibility for what was posted.
One of the posts from The Food Pitt circulating online said, “This burger it really makes you want to hit women.”
The post led to accusations of misogyny on social media. Other posts prompted members of the Dayton community to accuse the business owners of being racist and anti-Semitic. One of them is a TikTok video where one of the owners is displayed pouring a cup of juice, and is asked, “So, you like juice?” The word “juice” is then seemingly misheard as “Jews,” and the owner says, “Ew, no.”
The other post is of children picking up free smoothies. The caption reads in part: “We gave the colored kids colored smoothies. The kids gave the caption suggestions…”
The controversy has already affected the business’s participation in local events. Organizers of Dayton Porchfest announced The Food Pitt will be removed from the vendor list.
In a statement from Dayton Porchfest on Thursday, organizers said the following:
Since 2017, Dayton Porchfest has celebrated the breadth and depth of Dayton’s music community, bringing together performers across genres and backgrounds for a free neighborhood festival centered on music, connection and community. Including 2026, we have hosted 212 unique bands and performers. We understand that our initial response to the concerns surrounding The Food Pitt did not adequately reflect Porchfest’s commitment to being welcoming and inclusive. We should have handled that differently, and we are learning from the experience. We appreciate the community members and musicians who shared their concerns with us. As a volunteer-run event, we will take what we’ve learned from this experience into our post-festival planning and look at ways to strengthen our policies and communication going forward. Right now, our focus is on supporting the artists and porch hosts participating this weekend and putting on a great Dayton Porchfest.
The Food Pitt said they’re known for using “jokes” and “humor” to promote their business online.
On TikTok, some users have claimed other businesses have been “banning” the food truck, including The Brightside Music & Event Venue, the Day Air Ballpark, and businesses within the Oregon District. Attempts to confirm the alleged banning with Brightside and Day Air had not received a response.
Asha Parson, president of the Oregon District Business Association, said the district did not formally ban The Food Pitt, but indicated the association would not choose to work with the vendor based on what has been publicly posted.
“We as a whole did not necessarily ban them. However, we do our research when it comes to working with vendors, and given public comments and things, we would have decided not to work with them,” Parson said.
She also emphasized the importance of listening to the community they serve when circumstances, such as these, arise.
“We owe it to the community to also listen to what they want because we are taking up space within their community,” she said. “We’re asking them to come down and patronize our businesses. And so we want to know what our market thinks and who they want to see, and what makes them feel good to come outside and support.”
The Food Pitt owners, Austin Warman, Justin Hamilton and Michael Richards, issued an apology online and said they have seen both support and criticism. In an interview with Dayton 24/7 Now’s Zeakia Jordan on Friday, they said they take full responsibility for what was posted.
“We take accountability for the things that were posted. We know we’re responsible,” Hamilton said. “We never meant to hurt anybody with our jokes. No ill intent. We love what we do, (and) everybody we serve. And that’s what we’ve been doing since day one.”
Austin Warman said the owners are trying to move forward and are open to feedback from the community in an effort to regain their trust.
“We’re learning, we’re growing, we’re trying to move forward, and we’re open to any suggestions and open to everybody in the community,” Warman said.
Parson said she and other business owners would need to see changes in the owners’ actions before being willing to work with them in the future. The Food Pitt said rebuilding their relationship with the community will take time. Furthermore, Parson added there is a lesson here that everyone can learn from.
“We have to be mindful of the content that we create and what we are actually attracting and not rage-baiting our communities with our content and just genuinely producing mindful work,” Parson said.
The Food Pitt owners said that is a lesson they are taking heed of and promised the community that they’d do better moving forward. In a statement that they provided, they listed some of the other methods that they would like to pursue to rebuild their relationship with the community.
With this newfound publicity, we’d like to make positivity from what we have. We’re starting a GoFundMe, and the community will vote on what it goes towards. We also host an annual Thanksgiving donation day, free food, clothes, toys and donations to everyone in need. Check those out to give back. We’ve learned from this; maybe we’d change some things, but humor, the food, and us- that’s The Food Pitt.
We will continue to work to find which businesses have cut ties with The Food Pitt and will update this story when that information is available.
Dining and Cooking