Overview
- Whitexicans, a new Mexican restaurant on Northern Boulevard in Jackson Heights, opened this month and remains open as discussion over its name continues.
- Owners Mateo Gomez Bermudez and Manuela Mesa describe the name as satire meant to signal inclusion, pointing to an "All Humans Are Legal" sign and acknowledging the branding draws attention.
- Hundreds of comments on Facebook, Reddit and Instagram, along with neighborhood protests, have challenged the name, with a Community Board 3 member urging a change given heightened immigration enforcement.
- Scholars note "whitexican" emerged on Mexican social media around 2008 to describe privileged, light‑skinned Mexicans, and say the term carries pejorative and class‑based connotations.
- Early observations reported slow lunchtime traffic and mixed street‑level reactions, with some residents calling the name offensive and others describing it as original or cool.