‘Cultural appropriation’: A kebab shop owner releases apology after major backlash

Donny’s Doners, a new ‘DJ owned’, ‘neighbourhood’ kebab shop in Hackney’s London Fields, has released an apology after receiving major backlash to its premise and its prices – as criticism towards gentrification in London brands the entire premise as completely tone deaf. The backlash came hard to Donny’s Doners after its creator Simon – self described “white guy” – was branded tone deaf for opening the place in Hackney, an area already renowned for its authentic Turkish food and home to one of London’s largest Turkish and Turkish-Cypriot communities.

A video dragging Donny’s Doners went viral

@straightdiva5 #gentrification #hackney ♬ original sound – straightdiva

After a clip posted by the now deleted Donny’s Doners TikTok started getting backlash, things only got worse after the Straight Diva podcast hosted by pop star Su I Think and musician Louis Blooey absolutely rinsed it.

Su sarcastically says “It’s really nice to have an authentic diner kebab shop, because they don’t really exist in London.” Louis joins the tone saying “it’s a gap in the market I guess. We just love Turkish food so much and there’s unfortunately a lack of that in the city. Why not use our DJ skills and social media prowess to give the people what they want.” It’s hilarious, you have to admit.

The pair then criticise the prices satirically too, which are sitting at the extortionate end for a kebab. “At only £17”, Louis says. You can kinda see why their video is hashtagged “gentrification” now.

The top comment says “Turkish people (and their food) are just so rare in Hackney. Thank you for raising awareness.”

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Donny’s Doner apologised in a statement following the backlash

In a post titled ‘A statement from Donny (well, from me)’ – the me being Simon / Alien Communications – the Donny’s Doners statement to the backlash reads “Over the past week, a lot of criticism has been levelled at Donny’s, especially online, around cultural appropriation and gentrification. I’ve listened, taken it seriously and done a lot of reflecting on where I went wrong and how I can make meaningful changes going forward.

“The backlash has really made me think. I’ve asked myself if I’m a total idiot or a bad person – hopefully it’s just the former, as I know I’ve never had bad intentions or meant to upset anyone, especially not the communities who inspired this in the first place. But I realise that impact matters more than intent, and I’m absolutely mortified that I’ve caused such offence. It’s been difficult to process and come to terms with how naive and ignorant I was just a few weeks ago.”

Donny’s Doners

“A lot of people have reached out directly, offering constructive feedback and highlighting issues in our branding, and I want to say thank you. I appreciate the honest and effort from those genuinely looking to bring about positive change and I’m deeply sorry for any harm caused.

“Donny’s was born out of a love for food and music. The character we created – open shirt, perm, moustache – was meant as a playful nod to 70s nightlife and music culture, which is also reflected in our fonts, colour palette and whole aesthetic. I honestly had no idea the illustration could be interpreted in another way, and it was a huge blind spot. But ignorance isn’t an excuse.

Donny’s then clarified they have removed this character from all branding.

The statement continues: “This experience has made me question not just the branding, but the whole business. I’ve had to face the uncomfortable reality that I clearly didn’t fully understand the cultural dynamics at play – and yeah, it’s no longer lost on me that I’m a white guy who opened a kebab shop in Hackney. I now understand more clearly how gentrification and cultural appropriation can displace, erase or commodify the very people and traditions that shape a place.”

Donny’s Doners then explains that following the backlash they are remaining trading for the foreseeable but that the owner is going back to the drawing board to work on what ‘Donny’s 2.0’ may look like.

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