The culture wars in the United States continue to rage on, with legislatures across the country seeking to pass laws banning gender-affirming care for transgender children, time for drug stories, and education about race and gender. And the situation is no different at the corporate level. Target unveiled a massive Pride collection in June before scaling back some products in response to right-wing criticism.
The newest entrant for Pride Month is Cracker Barrel, a half-century-old restaurant chain. The company announced Thursday that it will be celebrating Pride “with our employees and guests” on Facebook, and that “anyone is always welcome at our tables (and lockers).”
Not surprisingly, there was an immediate backlash from conservatives who saw the company’s announcement as a concession to its immoral culture.
backlash
Conservative screenwriter and actress Collette Harrington tweeted that the company knew nothing about its customer base, highlighting the current right-wing slogan “Wake up, go bankrupt.”
Cracker Barrel doesn’t know who its customer base is. They’ve turned into crackers, that’s for sure! What is the government doing that makes all these companies give their customers the middle finger? CB this bud is yours. Get up, break! pic.twitter.com/P7NChs5VyA
— Collette Harrington (@sweetcarolinatv) June 9, 2023
Another conservative said he used to take pride in sharing his company with his hometown, but the move has shattered that pride.
I used to tell people how proud Cracker Barrel is not only to be headquartered in my hometown, but to be based in its original location.
Not so much now.
— Justin Maloney (@JMaloneyLiberty) June 8, 2023
Some argue that companies should stay out of politics.
Just don’t get involved in politics. It’s not that difficult. An all-encompassing method is to ignore all the different days and months. Pride is lost before it falls. Are you observing anything?
— Donna (@IAmTheStorm__) June 9, 2023
But the most visible tweet on the issue came from Texas conservative advocacy group Texas Family Project, which tweeted, among other things, “The cracker barrel has fallen.”
Just don’t get involved in politics. It’s not that difficult. An all-encompassing method is to ignore all the different days and months. Pride is lost before it falls. Are you observing anything?
— Donna (@IAmTheStorm__) June 9, 2023
meme
The word “fell” reminded many of a series of movies starring Gerard Butler that each ended with “fell” and definitely created a hilarious meme.
Some shared images from the movie showing how Butler’s character would react.
Cracker Barrel dropped. pic.twitter.com/t9W0kCd74L
— Hit Factory Podcast (@HitFactoryPod) June 9, 2023
Some even created fake posters for movies.
street demand #Beatdown Film Productionsand who are we against democracy?
Those in power exercise their free market rights, but it’s such a minor inconvenience!! Gerard Butler Brings Chicken Fried Beef:
cracker barrel dropped pic.twitter.com/DtVepr8yxX
—VyceVictus (@VyceVictus) June 9, 2023
“Cracker Barrel Dropped” pic.twitter.com/HRGbgeyucD
— Adequate Emily is proud! (@AdequateEmily) June 9, 2023
Of course, not all memes riffed on that one tweet. Film programmer Eric Allen Hatch joked that the restaurant turned into a movie gay leather club overnight. cruising.
Want to feel old?Today is Cracker Barrel pic.twitter.com/fuuEmGTrEX
— Eric Allen Hatch (@ericallenhatch) June 9, 2023
And there were also leftists joking and making memes about what Cracker Barrels across the country should look like, given the conservative reaction.
Comrades, we got the Cracker Barrel pic.twitter.com/VdIRLjEhd7
— Gardenin’ borbs
(@ronninator) June 9, 2023
real reason for the change
While people on both sides joked about the issue of inclusivity and tweeted about their beliefs, some observers said the decision had nothing to do with politics or acceptance, and was all about it. pointed out to be related to profit.
You are so stupid if you think that a Cracker Barrel executive went to a meeting and said, “We have to take a stand for our values.”
The post means that some marketers who are obsessed with numbers have found it more beneficial to stand by Pride than to stay silent. pic.twitter.com/vD0OrOFSB4
— Tim Ross (@TimRossComedy) June 9, 2023
Of course, we cannot say exactly what motivated this change. But there’s no question that the restaurant chain’s marketing team did a lot of research before making a decision.
Kyle Logan is a film and television critic and general pop culture writer for Alternative Press, Cultured Vultures, Film Stories, Looper, and more. Kyle has a particular interest in horror and animation, as well as genre films written and directed by queer people and women. Kyle organizes her queer film Her Challenge at Letterboxd in parallel with her writing endeavors.
