Baltimore seafood restaurant goes viral with patriotic defense of America

A seafood restaurant in Baltimore has gone viral on social media for its response to an article by news outlet HuffPost on American patriotism.

HuffPost published an piece about how some Americans, including some of the U.S. Olympians competing in the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, are struggling to feel patriotic about their country, experiencing as the outlet wrote, a “whiplash between pride” for their country and “national shame for the federal government.”

A heated exchange on X came after the U.S. men’s hockey team beat Canada 2-1, secured a gold medal, in the games on Sunday.

Why It Matters

The Winter Olympics seem to have exposed the divided sentiment some Americans feel towards their country at present. For some, the games have made them feel particularly patriotic, while others seem have found it harder to celebrate their country’s successes in the wake of a number of events, including Operation Metro Surge in the Twin Cities, and the fatal shooting of U.S. citizens in Minnesota by federal agents.

Some American Olympians have also said that they are struggling to feel patriotic while competing in this year’s winter games. For example, skier Hunter Hess said: “There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of. Wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything going on in the U.S.” Hess’ comment prompted Trump to deem him a “real loser.”

Chris Lillis, the U.S. aerials freestyle skier, told the news outlet USA Today he was “proud to represent our country” but that he was “heartbroken” over the immigration crackdowns.

What To Know

Commenting on the HuffPost article on X, Jimmy’s Famous Seafood wrote: “Go f*** yourself.” The restaurant’s post received more than 6.3 million views on the platform.

The comment has also received more than 136,000 likes, while HuffPost’s article has only gathered around 1,200 likes on the platform as of Monday morning.

The restaurant’s comment prompted debate on the social media platform. Some voiced their support over its response, with one user calling it a “patriot,” and another said that even though they were “allergic to shellfish,” they followed the restaurant’s account anyway.

A different user shared a screenshot of a plane ticket from Chicago to Baltimore, telling the restaurant in a post, “I’ll see you in a week.”

Other larger X accounts also announced they had started following Jimmy’s Famous Seafood on the platform after its comment.

These included the MAGA-affiliated account @PinoAmericano, which has more than 112,000 followers on the platform, and @DschlopesIsBack, an account with more than 309,000 follower. They also included Brianna Lyman, the conservative commentator who has more than 82,000 followers on X.

As of Monday morning, the Baltimore restaurant had more than 255,000 followers.

In the wake of the responses to its comments online, Jimmy’s Seafood Restaurant wrote on X: “Overwhelmed by the support! We are doing our best to get the website back up to full strength, and will work tirelessly to answer each tweet!”

Newsweek has contacted Jimmy’s Seafood Restaurant outside of regular working hours via email for comment.

After the U.S. hockey team victory against Canada on Sunday, the seafood restaurant announced that it would be giving “free crabcakes for life to all members of the 2026 USA Men’s & Women’s Olympic Ice Hockey Teams!”

“This applies to both dine-in and shipping for all time. God Bless America,” the restaurant added.

What People Are Saying

The X account @C_3C_3, which has more than 298,000 followers, commented on the restaurant’s post: “Everyone is Jimmy’s right now. You can’t hate the Media enough.”

The meme account @ImMeme0, which has more than 857,000 followers on X, wrote: “I’m never deleting this app. Whatever you do, make sure to support @JimmysSeafood!”

Nick Sortor, a conservative commentator with over 1.4 million followers on the platform, wrote on X: “This is the only acceptable response to HuffPost.”

Dustin Grage, an X user with more than 141,000 followers, wrote: “I’m eating at Jimmy’s Famous Seafood next time I’m in Maryland. Patriots.”

Dr Eithan Haim, an X user with more than 81,000 followers, wrote: “I don’t know Jimmy. I don’t know how famous his seafood is either. But with three simple words he has found a way to speak for millions. True patriot.”

The X account @DschlopesIsBack, which has more than 309,000 followers on the platform, wrote: “I’m going to place an order with Jimmy’s Famous Seafood right now and I’m also definitely going to be visiting their location in Baltimore at some point in the near future.”