in 2014, illegal pete's attracted controversy from proponents of race forward's "drop the i-word" campaign, which seeks to eliminate the word "illegal" from american vernacular because of possible racial connotations. two small groups of latino activists demanded that the word "illegal" be dropped from the name of the restaurant, first in fort collins and again upon the opening of the tucson location. founder pete turner has refuted any possible racial connotations of his business name in the media and in a public statement defending the use of the word.