It’s Pride month! Corporations around the country, realizing that LGBTQ+ people also buy stuff and are a part of families that buy stuff, have been showing their support. The “anti-woke” crowds, always crying about “cancel culture,” have been spending the past few weeks trying to cancel all of their favorite mass-produced products. Companies ranging from Bud Light to Target have been subjected to the Puritan hordes of Republican-inspired LGBTQ+ phobias.
Now, self-appointed conservative watchdogs across the Twittersphere are going after Cracker Barrel for going woke. Yes, the same Cracker Barrel that was sued by the NAACP for discriminatory practices multiple times and settled in 2004. The same Cracker Barrel that in 2013 was pressured into continuing to sell the merchandise of bigot Phil Robertson, of television’s “Duck Dynasty” fame. According to the conservative Texas Family Project, Cracker Barrel “has fallen.” In fact, they have “caved to the mob.” What mob? The company’s Facebook account released a post featuring a picture of a Cracker Barrel porch, replete with their standard rocking chairs, and one rainbow-painted chair, with the caption, “We are excited to celebrate Pride Month with our employees and guests. Everyone is always welcome at our table (and our rainbow rocker). Happy Pride!”
Cracker Barrel now joins the historically conservative Chick-fil-A, which became the subject of right-wing ire when it was discovered that for more than two years, Chick-fil-A has employed an executive position that oversees diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. And while Cracker Barrel is one of the larger Southern fast-casual chains, it doesn’t break the top ten in the U.S. Even Chick-fil-A is only the fifth-largest fast-food chain in the United States, according to career and jobs portal Zippia. There are nine other fast-food chains available to these red-blooded patriots who refuse to grab food from an institution that has gone woke!
Or are there?
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The largest fast-food chain, according to Zippia, is no surprise: McDonald’s! Uh oh—they have a very thorough page detailing the company’s commitment to “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI).” This includes making sure that women receive more equitable pay to their male counterparts, and working to “best represent the diverse communities in which we operate.”
Next up is Taco Bell. Run for the border! Just last year, Taco Bell announced a plan to create a training program directed at lifting up “operators from diverse backgrounds” at their company.
The third-largest fast-food company is Subway and its sandwiches. Subway’s “commitment” includes promoting diversity within its franchises and the communities in which they operate. Boooooo! Subway also prides itself on providing access to disabled patrons. Double booooo!
Subway is followed by Chipotle Mexican Grill. (What would MAGA do without the cultural influence of Mexico?) Bad news for MAGA land: Chipotle has been making proclamations in support of things like “the Black community,” and its CEO Brian Niccol was even included (that word again!) on the top 25 list of “Top-Rated CEOs for Diversity in large companies.”
No. 5 on the list is Chick-fil-A, followed by Pizza Hut. Yum! Brands Inc., owns Pizza Hut (as well as KFC and Taco Bell). I suspect that the Texas-based pizza chain’s “Diversity & Inclusion: Everyone At The Table” page would count as having “fallen” to the “woke mob.” If you want pizza, why not try Domino’s? Ruh roh!
No worries! There’s still Panera Bread Company … and its VP of DEI. Ouch. They have a separate report on their inclusion initiatives here. There’s always Wendy’s. Of course, if the concept of “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” continues to be a deal-breaker, you should probably stay away from Wendy’s. But never fear: Burger King is No. 10 with a bullet (cue M. Night Shyamalan twist ending music): a diversity initiative bullet!
The good news for bigots is that fast food is generally unhealthy and shouldn’t be eaten too frequently. The bad news is that if you plan on holding another insurrection or driving cross-country to support your suspected criminal former president, there are going to be a lot of places you cannot eat. Like, most of them. Better start looking at the 7-Eleven menu. Oh no!!!!!
RELATED STORY: Cracker Barrel offers a plant-based option. Conservatives lose their collective s**t