Normally, there isn’t much conversation on Cracker Barrel’s Facebook page, but last week’s announcement that a plant-based sausage patty would be added to the menu altered that.
Customers suddenly flooded the page, with some decrying the choice as “crock” and “trash” and pledging never to visit again. The Facebook post received over 7,000 comments by Thursday morning as opposed to the normal 100 or so responses to a Cracker Barrel post.
“Are you kidding me? Who do you think your customer base is?” one person wrote. “I still order the double meat breakfast and it’s not even on the menu anymore.”
Without much fanfare, businesses, including fast-food juggernauts like McDonald’s and Burger King, have been introducing or experimenting with plant-based options for years. However, by offending some customers who consider the restaurant chain as a bulwark of traditional values, such as providing real meat with every meal, Cracker Barrel appears to have walked directly into the nation’s culture wars.
The Lebanon, Tennessee-based Cracker Barrel chain, which has 660 company-owned restaurants in 45 states, is well-known for its menu of traditional Southern and country dishes like chicken and dumplings and country-fried steak.
Although the concerns have involved more serious issues than plant-based cuisine, such as claims of racism and discrimination against LGBT employees, Cracker Barrel is no new to controversy.
Cracker Barrel informed CBS MoneyWatch via email that it “appreciate[s] the passion our fans have for our all-day breakfast menu” in reaction to the Impossible Sausage outrage. The business went on to say that it aims to expand its menu options “to please every taste bud, whether people want to stick with long-standing favorites like bacon and sausage or are craving a fresh, wholesome plant-based option like Impossible Sausage.”
With several users pointing out that meat is still available on the Cracker Barrel menu and that customers are not required to order the veggie patty if they don’t want to, the emphasis on additional options is consistent with some of the pro-Impossible Sausage comments on the business’ Facebook page. The inclusion of a plant-based menu item was applauded by other people with dietary restrictions.
“For everyone saying this is stupid. It’s pretty good for those of us with kidney issues who have to follow plant based diets,” one commenter wrote. “Nobody is taking your sausage away and now I can have something when I go besides veggies and grits.”
Some others were happy to make fun of the controversy over the vegetarian choice.
“A menu item that I specifically don’t want to eat is something else I detest! Restaurants should only offer selections that meet my exact requirements! They have no right to serve anyone but me! “a Facebook user commented.
Instead of any negative feedback on social media, the real test will be whether or not customers order the Impossible Sausage patty at Cracker Barrel. According to Restaurant Dive, McDonald’s has discontinued its experiment of a plant-based burger due to limited demand, which several analysts have cited.