There's a new sandwich shop in Lake Forest that is generating a lot of buzz, particularly about its pickles. A human pickle, to be exact.
Mr. Pickle, the human, is not allowed to stand outside to advertise Mr. Pickle's, the sandwich shop, because it's illegal in Lake Forest. In fact, the city's new sign law bans electronic, neon, "human" and "animal" signs.
The law was reportedly enacted to ensure a consistent and contemporary look for Lake Forest, according to the Orange County Register. So, code enforcers came by and told owner Mike Luzzi to yank the pickle.
Luzzi tells NBCLA that he doesn't want any trouble with the city. He plans to obey the new law, but doesn't understand all the fuss, especially when other businesses have human signs in Lake Forest. So on Monday, Luzzi moved his human pickle a little bit farther up Lake Forest Drive, to the Laguna Hills city limit.
The human pickle appears to be catching some eyes and drawing business. Kirstin W. of San Diego writes on yelp.com, "I passed the dancing pickle on Lake Forest and Rockfield and decided that I had to try a new sandwich place in Orange County. It happened to be the opening day and I loved everything that followed after opening the door."
Interesting side note: Luzzi is a former mortgage broker. He wasn't forced out of his job because of the recession -- he chose to leave. He wanted to take his life in another direction: "I wanted to make the most awesome sandwich shop in Southern California," he says.
