PR Guy Pissing Match Erupts Over Racist Cheesesteak Pissing Match

In case you haven’t been paying attention, there’s been a big brouhaha over Northeast Philadelphia cheesesteak shop Chink’s changing its name to Joe’s. Supposedly, Joe’s business tanked because his old, racist customers boycotted him over his decision to “do the right thing” and ditch the name Chink’s.

Last week, Stu Bykofsky of the Daily News ran a feature about all this, and on Saturday, Philadelphia magazine’s own Joel Mathis organized an eat-in at Joe’s to show support for the restaurant and its enlightened ways. And I was pretty sure that would be the end of it.

But no.

Philadelphia public relations executive Peter Breslow (right) has decided to weigh in, because of course he has. On a blog post published this week, Breslow used the opportunity to take some wild shots at his competitor, publicist David Neff, who represents Joe’s.

It’s fair to say that Breslow, who represents local restaurants such as Bryn Mawr’s Verdad, Chestnut Hill’s Heirloom and the Dave Magrogan restaurants, didn’t like the way Neff handled the whole Chink’s/Joe’s situation:

Something I hate more than racial slurs? BAD PR. That’s right, I said it!

Breslow goes on to explain how Neff’s company “blew it”, but I’ll let you read Breslow’s peculiar diatribe for yourself.

It’s not unusual that Breslow has a low opinion of Neff, and vice versa. Grudges between publicists are not exactly uncommon. But normally, those grudges come out in cocktail party conversation. Something along the lines of: “Don’t tell anyone I told you this, but [insert publicist name here] was falling-down drunk at this party last weekend.” Or: “You didn’t hear from me, but [insert publicist name here] had sex in the bathroom at G Lounge last night.”

For Breslow to call Neff out so publicly is a little odd. “Listen, Neff was being lazy,” explains Breslow of his motivations in attacking his competitor. “He had to be called out for that.”

“I certainly don’t want to quantify this individual’s comments,” responds Neff, who is apparently unable to utter the name Peter Breslow. “I’ve had some very negative experiences with this individual where I was trying to help him at one point… But I always get a little excited when my competitors are trashing me. That tells me that my team and I are doing a good job and providing valuable services to our clients. I am glad that this individual has taken the opportunity to give my clients a little extra attention.”

This may all seem a little silly (OK, a lot silly), but it’s been a while since we’ve had a good Philly PR People Feud, so go ahead, guys, and have at it!