They created quite a stir after their episode of "Kitchen Nightmares" aired, in which Gordon Ramsay railed on them for being abusive to customers, immature, making disgusting food and generally being awful people.
Now Amy's Baking Co., which adamantly defended itself on Facebook (and subsequently got shot down and ridiculed) is showing some signs of self-awareness, as owners Amy and Samy Bouzaglo are using their catchphrase "Go f**k yourself!" on a new line of promotional t-shirts, the Phoenix News Times reports.
Well, if your food is terrible, it's one way to make money. Their new clothing line features a selection of black t-shirts with a rather Ed Hardy-esque design that can be complemented by a number of slogans and phrases, from "Here's your pizza, go f**k yourself" to "I speak feline, meow!" and even "I Survived Amy's Baking Company," all either quotes from their episode or ways of trying to cash in on their popularity following the show.
The Buzaglo's official Facebook page has been an infinite source of entertainment for fans of the show and so-bad-it's-good episode, as the owners constantly respond to hate messages and rail against anyone who tries to tell them they and their company is anything short of amazing.
"How are you still open?" one Facebook user wrote in response to their advertising the new t-shirt line, to which the owners replied, "Not only are we still open we are stronger than ever!"
Well, it's a much gentler and more mature response than previous times they've attempted to take on the Internet, in which they've not only denied allegations of stealing tips from servers (as they were seen doing on "Kitchen Nightmares") and defended their restaurant countless times, but wrote a number of since-deleted hate messages themselves insulting critics and bashing strangers on the net for daring to make fun of them.
Are the Buzaglos in on the joke themselves now?
It would seem so, judging by their new attitude towards their fans and critics, which I suspect is in part their realization that they can make money off of their own farce. As much as Amy Buzaglo scoffed at Ramsay's critiques, the owner seems to be now seeing how they can turn it around to benefit themselves.
Well, we don't know if the food or service will improve anytime soon (the Scottsdale, AZ restaraunt currently has an average 3.5 out of 5 rating on Yelp with a mix of extremely positive and extremely negative reviews), but at least they're trying to do something profitable.
