Name of new coffee shop has some people
steaming with anger
By Nancy Needham   nancy@theacorn.com

Photos by BILL SPARKES Acorn Newspapers WHAT'S IN A NAME? Owner Narinder Kumar, above, stands in front of his Bad Ass Coffee shop, which opened Feb. 22 at 2805 Agoura Road in the Westlake Village portion of T.O. Some residents have complained to city hall about the company name. Below, Nathan Hayes, center, and his friend, Chris McKernan, both 17-year-old Westlake Village residents, get job applications from Kumar. Hayes said it looked like a "pretty chill place" from the outside. Furthermore, basketball season is finished, Hayes said, and he needs a job.

Little donkeys known for bellowing as they carried heavy loads of coffee up and down the mountainsides of Kona, Hawaii, are pictured in the logo of The Bad Ass Coffee Company that recently opened in Thousand Oaks.

Some residents have deemed the company's tribute to the often cantankerous pack animals unacceptable. Connie Alexakos, vice president of marketing and product development for Bad Ass, disagrees.

"Those donkeys are a part of our company's legend," Alexakos said. "We always use a picture of a donkey in our marketing."

Still, some residents are offended and concerned about the message the name--described as morally degrading--sends to the community's youth. Writers have sent letters to the editor. Speakers have denounced the company's name during the public comment portion of a City Council meeting.

According to Cynthia Ross, assistant to the city manager, the city has received positive opinions about the name as well as the negative ones.

"Interestingly enough, we have also received comments from others who indicated that they thought the coffee shop name was catchy and who were not offended by the store's name," Ross said.

It is a challenge for local government to determine what represents good taste in the eyes of the community, she said. She gave the example of a local store that prominently displays sex manuals after the city suggested they move those materials farther back in the store.

"The retailer refused our request, essentially telling us (local government) and the community that it is not our place to tell their company what they may sell and how and where they may display their merchandise," Ross said.

It comes down to the public's choice whether or not to patronize a particular business.

"To this day, the manuals remain at the front door and the store is still in business," Ross noted.

She also declared the city is not in a position to ban the word "ass" because of court decisions based on interpretations of the First Amendment that protects free speech.

"There are also restrictions on a municipality's power to require changes to corporate trademarks, and this company name is a trademark," she said.

As for The Bad Ass Coffee Company's Thousand Oaks franchise owner, Narinder Kumar of Winnetka, he likes the little donkey logo and what it stands for.

"Kona coffee from Hawaii is the No. 2 coffee in the world," he said.

Kumar hopes to be a good community neighbor as he sells the only coffee grown in the United States, he said.

He's proud of his company for sending 2,000 bags of coffee to members of the military fighting in Iraq.

His store is among the company's 55 gourmet coffee franchises now open across the U.S., including one in Ventura that opened in 2000.