The Subway on Rainier Ave in Seattle recently put up a sign that effectively banned customers from using food coupons in their establishment. The sign says: ‘We do not accept any coupons due to the minimum wage in Seattle and other city taxes. Sorry for the inconvenience.’

The sign was originally uploaded to Reddit, where users quickly reacted to its bluntness. Here, some claimed that they would not use the establishment due to these practices. However, some sided with the Subway in question, claiming that this was put in force due to strict franchise laws in place.

Responding to the image, one user wrote: “It probably has to do with the predatory practices that Subway corporate pushes on its franchise owners. Like making them offer prices and deals that they can’t actually afford in a high cost of living area. They do it to basically bankrupt the franchise owners and reclaim the store for corporate. There’s plenty of stuff on the internet about it if you want to know more, plus I’m pretty sure John Oliver did a feature on it a few years ago.” It is not known if this is entirely truthful but may share some insight into the context of the sign.

Regardless of the reasons for the ban on coupons, it is fair to say that from a public relations perspective, this sign may not go down very well with Seattle customers.