The co-owner and CEO of Jimmy’s Famous Seafood said the Baltimore eatery is experiencing a “rise in business” after comments he made online regarding Team USA and the Winter Olympics went viral.
As the games wound down, progressive news outlet HuffPost published an article about the cognitive dissonance some athletes faced wearing the American flag and representing the United States at the Olympics, even as they disagreed with the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policies. The media outlet’s social media post linked to the article and said: “If waving the American flag or chanting ‘USA!’ turns you off right now, you’re not alone.”
More than 12 million people viewed the HuffPost social media post, and one of them was John Minadakis, CEO of Jimmy’s Famous Seafood. Using the restaurant’s social media account, he responded to the post about the article a day after it published, saying: “Go f– yourself.” That post in turn has racked up 17 million views, according to the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter).
Minadakis wasn’t the only one to express frustration with the article, but his response from the company’s account sparked a flurry of interest. He told The Banner in an email Wednesday that he’d seen a rise in business over the last week as the controversial post went viral. He also said Team USA fans were “coming by from all over to say hello.”
In an interview with WBAL radio, Minadakis said he was overcome with emotion during the gold-medal game between the U.S. and Canada men’s hockey teams when he posted the message. At the time, Minadakis was celebrating the U.S. team’s win alongside patrons of Jimmy’s Famous Seafood, describing it as “like a movie.” When he saw the article and social media post, he said, it felt like someone was telling him “you shouldn’t feel good” cheering on gold medal-winning athletes.
President Donald Trump phoned the men’s team after the win, and players quickly faced backlash after they were shown laughing during the call with Trump.
The president invited them to his State of the Union address Tuesday night, then quipped that he would have to invite the women’s team, which also won gold, or face impeachment. The women’s team later declined his belated invitation.
Minadakis was not available at the restaurant Wednesday to further discuss his post and uptick in business. A server at the seafood eatery at 6526 Holabird Ave. said it had received a surge in media calls. The restaurant also sells its food nationwide, according to its website.
The writer of the HuffPost article did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The seafood restaurant had posted about the Olympics and other sporting events on X before the article was published, including a Feb. 20 tweet inviting diners to watch the U.S. men’s hockey game with Slovakia that afternoon.
And Minadakis has previously made headlines for viral feuds, including one with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals two years ago. The back-and-forth escalated, with Minadakis eventually posting a message on a billboard, in opposition to one set up by PETA in Baltimore.
His sign saying “They died to be enjoyed” was intended to counter PETA’s, which said, “I never lent you my flesh,” according to social media posts in March 2023.
At the time, Minadakis told KOMO news the interaction was part of a long-standing dispute and had no impact on the business.