Cracker Barrel's New 'Sausage' Creates Online Ruckus

It seemed an innocuous enough ad for Cracker Barrel. "Discover new meat frontiers," the restaurant chain announced in a Monday social media post. "Experience the out of this world flavor of Impossible Sausage Made From Plants next time you Build Your Own Breakfast." The accompanying photo shows two freshly cooked patties plated alongside scrambled eggs and hash browns, with a tiny "Impossible" flag planted squarely in one of the faux-sausage rounds. That succinct ad, however, has plunged Cracker Barrel into what NBC News calls a "culture war," with critics accusing the eatery of entering overly politically correct territory and others rolling their eyes at the backlash.

The Washington Post pulls out some of "the more conservative" ideological takes, including one commenter who wrote, "Oh Noes ... the Cracker Barrel has gone WOKE!!!" Said another, "I just lost respect for a once great Tennessee company." Another chimed in with, "Bad choice. Do your research." Others didn't get political but simply didn't want meat alternatives over their favorite breakfast sausage. "If I wanted a salad ... I would in fact order a salad ... stop with the plant based 'meat' crap," another complained. Those remarks received their own pushback, with one commenter thanking the chain for "[understanding] the direction the world is going." Another person noted, "Imagine getting upset because a menu option exists at a restaurant."

Still others commented on all the comments generated by this menu addition. "This comment section is further proof we need to ... get more people into therapy for anger issues," one observer noted, per NBC. Cracker Barrel has responded to the commotion, with a spokesperson pointing out that of course customers can still have regular sausage and bacon on their plates. "We appreciate the love our fans have for our all-day breakfast menu," the rep notes in a statement. "At Cracker Barrel, we're always exploring opportunities to expand how our guests experience breakfast and provide choices to satisfy every taste bud." (More Cracker Barrel stories.)