Definitely a comment on the lack of Cultural Experiences, and tbh even stuff to do/look at/think about in the rural South. Cracker Barrel is a riot of visual stimulus in comparison. And yes… confederate flags. (In the 90s at least)

And such blatant discrimination that they had to settle a lawsuit over it.

???? I want to make it exquisitely clear that I don’t in any way like Cracker Barrel as an adult. I was brought there as a child. I had zero agency over what restaurant to eat at off the highway on the way to grandpa’s house.

Oh, I wasn’t calling anyone out or anything. I’m saying that, at a corporate level, Waffle House has earned a shitty reputation that’s hurt their business and limited their ability to capitalize on their locational advantages. It’s going to be a tough place to rebrand.

A class action with 40 plaintiffs across 16 states. Racism was a core part of the corporate culture and the restaurant’s general reputation. It’s a big reason they have never been able to capitalize on their niche like other interstate-focused brands. Too many people know to stay away.