The culture war in the United States continues to rage on as legislatures nationwide look to pass laws outlawing gender-affirming care for trans children, drag story times, and education on race and gender. And things are no different at the corporate level, where Target announced a massive Pride collection for June before rolling back some of the products in response to right-wing criticism.
The newest company to enter the fray for Pride Month is the half-a-century-old Cracker Barrel restaurant chain. The company announced on Facebook Thursday that they would be celebrating Pride “with our employees and guests” and that “Everyone is always welcome at our table (and rocker).”
Unsurprisingly, the pushback was immediate from conservatives who see the company’s announcement as a concession to an immoral culture.
The Backlash
Conservative screenwriter and actress Colette Harrington tweets that the company knows nothing about its customer base and emphasizes the current right-wing slogan “Go woke, go broke.”
Cracker Barrel has no idea who their costumer base is. They’ve gone crackers, that’s for sure! What is the government up to that’s making all these companies give the middle finger to their costumers? CB this Bud’s for you. Go woke go broke! pic.twitter.com/P7NChs5VyA
— Colette Harrington (@sweetcarolinatv) June 9, 2023
Another conservative says they used to be proud of sharing a hometown with the company, but this move dashes their pride.
I used to be proud to tell people that Cracker Barrel not only has it’s corporate HQ in my hometown, but was home to the original location.
Not so much now.
— Justin Maloney (@JMaloneyLiberty) June 8, 2023
Others argue that companies should simply stay out of politics.
Just stay out of politics. It’s not that hard. The inclusive way is to ignore all the different days and months. Pride goeth before the fall. Have you observed nothing.
— Donna (@IAmTheStorm__) June 9, 2023
But the most visible tweet on the issue comes from Texas conservative advocacy group Texas Family Project that tweeted, among other things, “Cracker Barrel has fallen.”
Just stay out of politics. It’s not that hard. The inclusive way is to ignore all the different days and months. Pride goeth before the fall. Have you observed nothing.
— Donna (@IAmTheStorm__) June 9, 2023
The Memes
That “has fallen” made many people think about the Gerard Butler-starring series of films that each end with “has fallen,” and led to some undeniably hilarious memes.
Some shared images from the film that showed how Butler’s character might react.
cracker barrel has fallen. https://t.co/93Ehp5BrcE pic.twitter.com/t9W0kCd74L
— Hit Factory Podcast (@HitFactoryPod) June 9, 2023
Others went so far as to create fake posters for the film.
The Streets demand #BeatdownFilmProductions, and who are we to defy Democracy?!
The powers that be exercise their free market rights, but that’s one minor inconvenience too far!! Gerard Butler brings the chicken-fried beef in:
CRACKER BARREL HAS FALLEN https://t.co/dDVuHj2QED pic.twitter.com/DtVepr8yxX
— VyceVictus (@VyceVictus) June 9, 2023
“Cracker Barrel Has Fallen” https://t.co/erNA9scVWD pic.twitter.com/HRGbgeyucD
— AdequateEmily Is Proud! (@AdequateEmily) June 9, 2023
Of course, not all of the memes riffed on that one tweet. Film programmer Eric Allen Hatch joked that the restaurants had overnight turned into the gay leather club from the film Cruising.
want to feel old? This is Cracker Barrel today pic.twitter.com/fuuEmGTrEX
— Eric Allen Hatch (@ericallenhatch) June 9, 2023
And some on the left joked and made memes about what Cracker Barrels around the nation must look like, given the conservative reaction.
Comrades, we have taken Cracker Barrel pic.twitter.com/VdIRLjEhd7
— gardenin’ borbs 🌾🥕🍅🫑🥒 (@ronninator) June 9, 2023
The Real Reason for The Change
While people on either side of the inclusivity issue made jokes and tweeted about their convictions, some observers noted that the decision has nothing to do with politics or acceptance and everything to do with profit.
if you think the executives of cracker barrel sat in a meeting and said “we have to take a stand for our values” you’re being very silly.
what this post means is that some number crunching marketers realized it was more profitable to support pride than to be silent. pic.twitter.com/vD0OrOFSB4
— Tim Ross (@TimRossComedy) June 9, 2023
We, of course, can’t say for sure what motivated the shift. But there’s no doubt that the marketing team for the restaurant chain did a lot of research before making any decisions.
Kyle Logan is a film and television critic and general pop culture writer who has written for Alternative Press, Cultured Vultures, Film Stories, Looper, and more. Kyle is particularly interested in horror and animation, as well as genre films written and directed by queer people and women. Along with writing, Kyle organizes a Queer Film Challenge on Letterboxd.
