Fuzzies Burgers will no longer have a taproom residency at Peabody Heights Brewery after the burger truck’s owner shared a social media post praising Donald Trump.
The Abell brewery said Tuesday on social media that it is ending its partnership with Fuzzies, which sells smashburgers and fries from a trailer parked on Peabody Heights’ outdoor patio. Tuesday marked the burger trailer’s final day.
The decision comes after Fuzzies owner Josh Vecchiolla posted a pro-Trump message on his personal Instagram account.
“The people have spoken, take it on the chin like an adult,” Vecchiolla wrote under a photo of Trump raising his fist following a July assassination attempt, according to a screenshot posted to Reddit.
Vecchiolla has since deleted the account. In a statement emailed to The Baltimore Sun on Tuesday night, he said Fuzzies “has multiple owners with very diverse lives, with differences in political viewpoints, sexual orientations, and more.”
“One of our owners’ personal views was shared and mistakenly interpreted as a political endorsement by Fuzzies Burgers, and for this reason it was quickly removed,” the statement continues. “We want to be clear, Fuzzies does not endorse any political ideology, but we respect everyone’s opinion — it makes all of us stronger.”
Vecchiolla said Fuzzies had a one-year agreement with Peabody Heights that was set to expire next month, and that “the misrepresentation of our business… prompted an early exit.”
“We will miss our friends at Peabody and the vibrant community they created, but we look forward to finding a space where everyone is welcome,” the statement concludes.
The end of the partnership takes into account community feedback, Peabody’s Tuesday post said. An earlier post said the brewery was “actively holding internal discussions and plan(s) to engage with the owners of Fuzzies Burgers to determine a constructive way forward.”
“As a minority- and family-owned business, we at Peabody Heights Brewery are committed to fostering a safe and inclusive space for women, the LGBTQIA+ community, and people of color. We stand firmly in support of Black Lives Matter and social justice,” the post added.
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