A Subway restaurant in Georgia has come in for heavy criticism after displaying a roadside sign that joked about the June 18 Titan submersible disaster that killed five people.
The Rincon sub shop had to change a sign that read “Our subs dont implode” after photos of the restaurant began spreading across the internet, prompting backlash and complaints.
“We have been in contact with the franchise about this matter and made it clear that this kind of comment has no place in our business,” a Subway spokesperson said in a statement to multiple outlets. “The sign has since been removed.”
Many social media users found the restaurant’s sign insensitive, given that five people died in the high-pressure underwater implosion, including a father and his teenage son.
“Too soon! I’m definitely NOT laughing at this,” one person tweeted.
“That’s disrespectful as fuck!” commented a Facebook user. “Bet if that was their family they (wouldn’t think) it’s so funny.”
“I would love to hear what @Subway says about this... IMO, it’s horrible taste for a chain that is trying to reinvent themselves,” argued one Twitter user.
“Trying to make money from others’ suffering is always a bad idea,” another person admonished.
Not everyone reacted with disapproval, however.
“Kind of makes me want to actually eat subway. Great sense of humor! Give that sign guy a raise!” one person quipped.
“I chuckled too. It’s actually clever,” wrote a Reddit user. “Humor, by its nature, insults someone every time. We should lighten up.”
The people on OceanGate Expeditions’ Titan submersible died when the vessel imploded thousands of feet below the water, during a voyage to see the wreckage of the Titanic in the northern Atlantic.
After the sub lost contact with the surface, the fate of the craft and the people aboard remained a mystery for days.
The U.S. Coast Guard announced all five people’s deaths on June 22 after fragments of the submersible were discovered.
OceanGate has since announced it will suspend all explorations. The company’s CEO, Stockton Rush, was one of the people killed aboard the Titan.
Subway didn’t immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.