Yeah uh, their 575 pound spokesperson just died at 29. He died of the flu. People do die from the flu but being obese raises that risk and puts you at really bad risk of complications from just about everything medical. Pneumonia is a huge risk for the obese with the flu.
The owner seems to realize that the flu might not have killed him if he weren't morbidly obese according to this quote from the same story, link below.
River came down with the flu last week, and after four days in the hospital, he succumbed to pneumonia, says Jon Basso, owner of the grill and close friend of River .Basso described River's death as "tragic," because he was a "young creative genius, a promising man whose life got cut short because he carried extra weight. Had he been thin, he would have had a tenfold opportunity to survive the pneumonia."
Here's a quote from the owner and friend about his death from this story.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/HeartHe...ry?id=13056400
Basso is very open about the controversial position he puts himself in by marketing unhealthy food "worth dying for," as the restaurant slogan goes.
"I hired him to promote my food. We are absolutely guilty of glorifying obesity. That's what I do for a living: I make a mockery of heart-related issues in order to sell hamburgers," says Basso.
*LOOKS LIKE THERE IS GOOD MONEY IN MAKING A MOCKERY OUT OF HEAVY PEOPLE WHO NEED HELP. At least, he's legally in the clear...otherwise, well.....
If he knew the impact this would have since he used to own a Jenny Craig, why would he encourage people to abuse their bodies this way? Duh, that's obvious. Isn't it? $$$