Cracker Barrel’s support for Pride Month is drawing conservative backlash online
Cracker Barrel once again inadvertently found itself at the center of an online culture war.
On Thursday, some Twitter users expressed outrage over the popular Southern chain’s embrace of Pride Month after the Texas Family Project, a conservative political advocacy nonprofit, posted screenshots of the chain’s diversity and inclusion statements and initiatives.
“We are not pleased to report that the @CrackerBarrel has fallen,” the Texas Family Project wrote in its chirping. “A once family-friendly establishment has fallen to the mob.”[ads1];
Cracker Barrel did not respond to a request for comment. But a copy of the statement, which was shared by the Texas Family Project, is on their website.
“Our food and decor celebrate warm memories of the past, and our inclusive culture and beliefs help us make way for an even brighter future together,” reads a line from one of the statements. “Discrimination, overt or through unconscious bias, has no place at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store.”
Images of Cracker Barrel-branded rainbow rocking chairs also sparked outrage, which followed the restaurant’s initiative to set up Pride-themed seating.
This is not the first time that the chain restaurant and store, which has been rooted in American Southern culture since its founding in 1969, has found itself in the middle of a deep ideological divide.
After a Facebook post last year urged customers to try the new Impossible Sausage Made From Plants, thousands of commenters rallied as debate erupted over whether plant-based menu options meant Cracker Barrel had “woke up.”
The Texas Family Project’s tweet again sparked protests from conservatives who bemoaned the restaurant’s alleged “wokeness,” as well as fashionable comments from others mocking users’ dramatic response to inclusion.
As of Friday afternoon, quote tweets on the original post had almost twice as many likes.
“‘We take no pleasure in reporting that Cracker Barrel has fallen’ may be the funniest sentence ever composed in the English language,” one user joked in a tweet that garnered nearly 20,000 likes in less than a day.
“where were you when Cracker Barrel fell,” another tweeted.
Among conservatives, much of the outrage was amplified by other major right-wing accounts and public figures. Under a tweet by @EndWokeness, an account dedicated to “fighting, exposing and mocking wokeness,” hundreds of commenters announced they would never again visit Cracker Barrel.
Texas Representative Ronny Jackson also joined the protest, tweeting: “BYE BYE CRACKER BARREL! I will NEVER eat there again!!”
Nevertheless, not everyone shared the feeling that the restaurant chain had “fallen”.
Cracker Barrel’s Pride Month-inspired Facebook announcement that “everyone is always welcome at our table” seemed to be met with a more positive response.
“Fantastic news!” wrote one Facebook user, whose comment received thousands of supportive reactions. “I’ve avoided Cracker Barrel for as long as I can remember, not knowing if my family was really welcome. We will definitely be stopping by our local location soon!”
