Here is an example of a joke: Why can’t you trust atoms? Because they make up everything. Here is an example of not a joke: Anything making light of serious crimes that can hurt and kill people, including a sign linking domestic beer to domestic violence that caused a furor after a patron at a Texas bar spotted it and posted it online.

The Plano, Texas bar featured a handwritten “joke” on a blackboard that read: “I like my beer like I like my violence. Domestic.” With a heart after that, because what? Sigh.

One woman tells WFAA-TV that she couldn’t believe what she was reading on the chalkboard, and snapped a photo of it.

“How does someone think it’s OK to put something like that up there?” she asked.

She says she asked the female bartender who had apparently written the sign to erase it, as well as two managers, and no one would take it down. So she went home and posted the details of her visit with the photo on Facebook — and it seems the bar is now paying attention.

A regional manager told the news station that the message was erased, and the manager on duty that day was indefinitely suspended without pay. The bar’s owners say it will now use a new system to make sure any sign that’s posted is approved first. In an attempt to make up for any offense, the business will also donate to a local women’s shelter in Plano.

The bar also posted the below message on its Facebook page to apologize, writing:

“It has come to our attention that one of our female employees wrote something offensive without owner’s approval. Domestic violence is something our family unfortunately has overcome in the past, therefore this subject is one we don’t take lightly. We are currently investigating the situation and proper actions will be taken immediately. We thank you for your patience and again want to ensure this is not our stance.”

The customer who snapped the pic says the donation and pledge to work with the women’s shelter is the step in the right direction. And for critics who think she overreacted to the “joke,” she says she did it for survivors of domestic violence.

“I want to give them a voice,” she said. “It can be a really powerful thing for change.”

Sign ‘joking’ about domestic violence sparks outrage at Plano bar [WFAA-TV]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.