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Cracker Barrel, an American restaurant chain, faced backlash on social media for its Pride Month campaign. The post was shared on the company’s Facebook account on June 8. The Old Country Store stated in the caption that they were excited to celebrate Pride Month with their employees and guests and added that everyone is always welcome at their table and their rocker.
Ever since the post featuring a rainbow-colored chair on the restaurant's front porch surfaced on the internet, it drew quite a lot of attention and was heavily criticized by conservatives. Needless to say, the company made it to the list of “woke” companies as labeled by the conservatives and has already received calls for a boycott.
The restaurant chain is based in Lebanon, Tennessee, and has been a staple of suburban America for more than 50 years. Aside from serving food, it is also known for its addicting peg solitaire games and quirky gift shops, which maintain a Southern country theme.
Cracker Barrel's Facebook post was shared on Twitter by many, and more conservatives gathered to leave their negative remarks about the company. One Twitter user, @angie_anson, wrote that she has always loved the restaurant, but she loves her country and her God more. Another user, @NahanNancy, replied to the tweet and said that it was time to protest.
Internet reacts to Cracker Barrel's Pride Month post
While conservatives immediately got to criticize the company for supporting the LGBTQ+ community, a few others spoke in its defense.
People speaking against the company
One Twitter account called Texas Family Project shared the company's Facebook post and wrote that the company has "fallen". The account added that the restaurant, which used to be a family-friendly establishment, has now caved to the mob.
Conservatives wrote that they would not support a company that was ideologically malicious toward children. They stuck to their statement that the LGBTQ+ ideology is inappropriate for children and that it grooms their minds.
People defending the company against conservatives
Many people counter-questioned the conservatives who kept saying that Cracker Barrel was targeting children with its Pride campaign, since in no place had the company specifically mentioned it being directed toward children or influencing them.
Some asked the right-wingers that, by their logic, they should boycott beauty pageants as well since they s**ualize young girls and groom them to fit into the set beauty standards of society.
A few others criticized the conservatives' constant excuse of respecting Christian values, as they keep saying that being gay is against God's word.
This is not the first time Cracker Barrel has been labeled “woke”. In 2022, the restaurant chain made headlines after it promoted its new plant-based vegan sausage on Facebook. Several conservative and Christian customers slammed the company after that for supporting woke ideologies.
Earlier this week, the company reported that traffic had fallen noticeably since April as consumers were faced with economic pressure. But the restaurant chain is striving to increase frequency among its consumers with a planned loyalty program that will be launched in July. It is also trying to retain the customer base with continued value messages.
