I was in Piccadilly last night and happened to pass the Itsu sushi bar that former Russian spy Alexander Litvenenko visited prior to his death of polonium-210 poisoning. (Full timeline of the story and investigation are available here from the BBC.)
Given that the exact mechanism of poison delivery (and the scene of the crime) are still unknown, Itsu faced a potential PR nightmare in defending their Health and Safety compliance, the quality of their sushi and the security of their clientele.
Rather than hide and hope this would blow over, Itsu has stepped up to their own role in the drama. As they’ve closed this restaurant for decontamination, the board across the front says:
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| Itsu, Piccadilly (London W1J) closed for the investigation of the poisoning of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko |
An interesting approach, capitalising on such a bizarre, James-Bond style set of events. (Do note the black swirly background.) By boosting their own “casual bystander” role in this affair, Itsu is painting themselves as just close enough to the the events to enjoy the romance of it all, but also excusing themselves (probably accurately, it appears) from any blame.
Their flamboyant sign should ensure that people talk, spreading their message of innocence. I was amused enough by their efforts to help them in their viral marketing (by this posting) and will be interested to see how their sales turn out.
Itsu’s website (which has no signs of the cloak-and-dagger theme of their Piccadilly boards) indicates that they expect to reopen in early 2007.
Scotland Yard requisitioned the records of everyone who bought sushi there with a credit card around the time of the meeting and then tracked them all down, first to give them a radiation test and second to question them about what they saw. This included making a personal visit to an NPR reporter at his home in the US and showing him photos of the suspects. Very thorough, and a reminder of the digital trail we leave behind us everywhere.
Very good point, Colin. I think of that when I choose to buy my groceries with a card (so I have one consolidated record of where my money goes) rather than with cash… And if I can see it, Scotland Yard could too.
It’s an intriguing story and I wouldn’t be surprised if something circumstantial like that ends up breaking it. Tune in next time!
That’s AWESOME. I’d totally do that if I were the owner. Hell, I’d even take out a recurring ad in the paper. It’s all good press for them, as it sems evident that it was a targetted poisoning, and as they say – any press is good press.
Driving me crazy that now that I actually can consume raw fish again I can’t convince B to go with me for a sushi meal! Gah!!