Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores, the meatloaf and fried-steak purveyor founded in Middle Tennessee, has been criticized for a diversity, equity and inclusion campaign.
“We take no pleasure in reporting that Cracker Barrel has fallen,” tweeted the Texas Family Project. As evidence, the Texas group cited a two-page flyer from the restaurant chain celebrating Pride Month, its participation in which appeared to be a few rainbow-colored sponsored rocking chairs.
“Discrimination, overt or through unconscious bias, has no place at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store,” the company, which over the years has been criticized for its conduct, says on its diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging page.
In 1992, it asked, and was granted, a so-called no-action letter from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to exclude shareholder proposals dealing with its employment policies — and in particular its policy, stated in a press release, that it would not hire gay or lesbian employees. After public and shareholder pressure, Cracker Barrel reversed that policy, and in 1998, the SEC withdrew the no-action letter.
During the George W. Bush administration, Cracker Barrel settled a lawsuit with the Justice Department that alleged a pattern of discrimination against African-American customers, based on conduct in 50 restaurants in seven states.
Culture wars have engulfed a number of companies of late, in particular Anheuser-Busch InBev, which ran a social-media campaign with Dylan Mulvaney, featuring her holding a personalized Bud Light can with her picture on it marking the anniversary of her gender transition. Shares of U.S.-listed Anheuser-Busch InBev
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When it came to the Cracker Barrel situation, many Twitter users lampooned the concern.
As for Cracker Barrel’s
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Cracker Barrel shares have lost 7% over the last five sessions.
