COSTA MESA : Vandals Hit Eatery That Offers Buffalo

Graffiti vandals, apparently animal-lovers, recently attacked one of the county’s few restaurants that serves buffalo meat.

Restaurant owner Benjamin Bennani said someone smashed a $500 sign in front of his G&G; International Pizza / House of Buffalo and left a cardboard sign bearing the words “buffalo killer” in his window. The vandalism, which occurred May 1, is being investigated by the police, Bennani said.

Bennani opened his restaurant at 1125 Victoria St. three years ago to serve buffalo pizza and buffalo hamburgers. He wanted to popularize a food he says is tasty and healthful.

But all along, he said, people have called him in anger to contend that buffalo are endangered and should not be eaten.

In fact, there are more than 120,000 buffalo in the United States, according to Karen Sekich, director of the American Bison Assn. in Denver. And the main reason there are so many buffalo, Sekich said, is because people like to eat them.

“If we didn’t have a use for them, they would be gone,” said Sekich. One bison rancher she knows is fond of pointing out that “you never saw an extinct chicken,” she said.

The American Bison Assn. promotes the preservation, production and marketing of bison, Sekich said. There are more than 1,400 members in 50 states and 14 countries, including more than 800 bison breeders, she said.

The word buffalo is a scientifically incorrect name for the bison, Sekich said, but it has stuck.

Bennani said more than half his sales are foods that include buffalo meat. He has made buffalo lasagna and buffalo spaghetti sauce.

Part of his job running the restaurant is working to educate people that the food is legal and healthy, Bennani said. But it’s been an uphill battle.

Bennani spent about $2,000 to have a buffalo mounted and placed it in front of his restaurant when he opened, he said. At his grand opening, he gave away photos of people posing next to the stuffed animal.

But a month later, after receiving complaints, he felt compelled to take the mounted buffalo down. “We had a few people who didn’t like that at all,” Bennani said.

When Bennani ran an advertisement for his restaurant that asked “Have you ever eaten buffalo?” he received more complaints from people arguing that buffalo are endangered.

Bennani has continued to sell the meat, but now he maintains a low profile, answering the phone simply by saying “G&G; Pizza.”

He gives out two different sets of coupons to customers. One coupon, for people who know about the buffalo meat, offers discounts on buffalo products. For the rest, another set of coupons simply offers discounts on pizza, sandwiches and drinks.

“That way I keep a distance from harassment,” Bennani said.

But in the last few weeks, the harassment has increased. People have been calling him more often. Paint has been splattered on his wall, including the word butcher, Bennani said. He quickly painted it over.

“We don’t kill the buffalo,” Bennani lamented. “We just buy the meat and serve it. I don’t know why they have to give us problems.

“It’s hurt me more than it’s hurt the business,” he added.

Over the years, Bennani has developed a group of loyal customers, he said. But if the harassment continues, Bennani said, he might sell the business and try somewhere else.