Pizza Salvatoré Controversy: Culture vs. Business Clash
So, there’s been quite a buzz lately about Pizza Salvatoré and a heated debate that’s taken over social media. It all started when Guillaume Jr Abbatiello, co-president of the well-known pizza chain, made some controversial comments about government funding for the cultural sector. Let me break it down for you.
Abbatiello was a guest on Tout peut arriver , a talk show on ICI Première, where discussions about the cultural sector’s financial struggles took center stage. He didn’t engage much in the conversation at the time, but once he was back in his car, he took to social media to share his unfiltered thoughts. In a now-deleted TikTok video, he mocked the cultural community for continuously asking for government support. His words? He felt like he was “surrounded by aliens” during the discussion, calling out artists for not questioning why their content wasn’t performing well. He even suggested that instead of blaming funding issues, they should ask themselves: Is our content just bad?
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That didn’t sit well with many people—especially not with Quebec’s Minister of Culture, Mathieu Lacombe. Lacombe quickly fired back with a strong statement, saying, "Culture isn’t a box of pizza. It’s who we are. And yes, we need to support it." That response set off a wave of reactions online.
Social media exploded with backlash against Abbatiello’s comments. Many artists and cultural figures called him out, with some even suggesting a boycott of Pizza Salvatoré and other businesses under the Abbatiello family. Louis Morissette, a well-known comedian and producer, also took a stand, announcing that his podcast, Entre la poire et le fromage , would no longer be sponsored by the pizza chain. His response was particularly sharp—he compared the struggles of the cultural industry to the restaurant business, saying: Imagine if Pizza Hut and Domino’s moved in next door, didn’t pay rent, and completely dominated the market. Would that automatically make your pizza bad?
The numbers tell an interesting story too. In 2022, Quebec’s cultural industry contributed $17.4 billion to the economy—way more than the restaurant sector, which brought in $5.8 billion. So, while Abbatiello argues that government funding for the arts is wasted, many point out that the cultural sector is a major economic driver.
Since the backlash, Abbatiello has deleted his video and hasn’t responded to media requests. Pizza Salvatoré, for now, is staying quiet. But one thing’s for sure—this debate isn’t dying down anytime soon. It’s brought up a bigger conversation about the value of culture, government support, and what it really means to invest in the arts. What do you think? Should the cultural sector get more funding, or does Abbatiello have a point?
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