A recently closed restaurant in Texas is claiming that it had nothing to do with an angrily worded sign in which area residents are not portrayed flatteringly. But some people believe the eatery is only distancing itself from the sign because an attempt at humor backfired.

The above photo, posted earlier today on Reddit, was allegedly posted in the window of a recently shuttered Italian restaurant in Amarillo, Texas.

It’s a poison-pen farewell note that reads:

You sorry assed, rednecked sacks of goat sperm had no idea what you had here! Good luck with your pre-packaged frozen shit food in this town. Maybe you’ll remember us when you’re boning your sister and think she smells like pasta. We are off to make money in a town whose average IQ is above room temperature!
CIAO!!!

On the restaurant’s Facebook page, the business has twice posted, “Don’t believe all you hear and see folks!”

Later responses to Facebook users try to claim that the sign was put up by someone trying to make the restaurant look bad.

“The sign? It appears it was put up, photod and taken down. Nobody ever saw it up. Nasty joke huh?” reads one reply from the restaurant.

This sentiment was repeated in response to another Facebook user query:

Nobody ever saw it posted that we can find. It appears to have been posted, photographed and taken down. It’s not up now and we’ve been out of the building for 2 weeks. Totally malicious!

However, some are pointing to previous comments and statements made by the restaurant’s owner as evidence that he may have indeed written the nasty note.

According to the Amarillo Globe News, when the restaurant closed a couple weeks back, a sign on the building read, “We’re moving your favorite REAL Italian place to LUBBOCK!! With plans underway also for AUSTIN!! Thanks so much Amarillo! CIAO!!!”

The angry tone, the implication that Amarillo residents don’t like good food, and the all-caps CIAO, complete with three exclamation points, make a good case that the same person wrote the two notes.

There are also the owner’s responses to UrbanSpoon reviews. While the tone is significantly more cordial than either of the letters posted on the restaurant, he ends at least two replies to customers with that all-caps CIAO, giving ammunition to those who believe he is also the author of the latest angry notice.

Of course, it is possible that someone is merely mocking the style and wording of that first note and the UrbanSpoon responses to paint the restaurant owner in a bad light.

The biggest issue with confirming the validity of the nasty note is that the photograph posted online presents no context for the image. For all anyone knows, it could have been placed behind the photographer’s living room window and snapped.

The story will likely follow this restaurant as it opens a new store in Lubbock. Let’s just hope this isn’t another Amy’s Baking Company, because the world can only stand so many of those.

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