LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Many parents on social media expressed outrage over an amateur event featuring characters from “Bluey” with crowds of disappointed families, while the restaurant offered an apology and told FOX5 that they did not expect the massive turnout with high expectations.
The Dirt Dog restaurant event posted on Facebook had a response of 3,000 people. It advertised an event with Bluey and other characters from the popular show, and free offerings like face painting and desserts.
Photos from parents show lines out the door and people posted on social media concerns about capacity and crowd control. When inside the crowded restaurant, people encountered amateur costumes, homemade treats and face painting from a restaurant staff member.
“I was mad. He looked unexpected,” said Sophia, a child who attended the event. “We could see his beard,” she said about the less-than-ideal Bluey impersonator.
“The kids were distraught. Some kids were crying. Some kids were upset, crying in their parents’ shoulders,” mother Stephanie Hernandez said. “How could you do that to little kids: advertise something so fun and eventful for kids ranging from toddlers to six, seven years old, and not actually follow through with it? It was a very upsetting moment to see so many kids, especially my daughter, just really upset,” she said.
Dirt Dog management sat down with FOX5 to explain the well-meaning intentions behind the event. Staff like to plan events for their “regulars,” and they volunteered to be the costume characters, worked as staff for face painting and even baked goods for the event. One restaurant worker personally baked 125 cupcakes, but they were gobbled up shortly after the event started.
“We expected like maybe 50 to 60 people–not in the sense of like the whole city coming out. Just now knowing who Bluey is, we would have planned ahead and would have had security,” said Taj Wilder, who explained that the last “princess-themed” event was a hit.
The restaurant posted an apology on social media and promises to make it up to the community.
Copyright 2024 KVVU. All rights reserved.