Results tagged “crackerbarrel”

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz has decided to "unvite" Cracker Barrel from visiting Brooklyn. Last week, politicians, community leaders, and even our readers were up in arms about Markowitz having the Cracker Barrel folks up for a courtesy visit, to bring some Southern chain-style cooking to Brooklyn. Markowitz alluded to some of the chain's past problems with gay and black employees when he said:

"I do not believe they are ready for Brooklyn. It is our greatest source of pride that Brooklyn's diversity of races, faiths and ethnicities is unrivaled anywhere in the world, and any company that is interested in doing business in Brooklyn must respect and celebrate that diversity. We have no plans to meet with Cracker Barrel."

You have to give Markowitz credit for at least trying to encourage more business or more Brooklyn pride, but City Councilman Charles Barron wonders if we should be researching who else Markowitz is trying to woo to set up shop here. However he does find himself in the middle of controversy, like the time when Italian-Americans didn't like the Fuhgeddaboutit signs or the Jewish community didn't like the proposed Brooklyn Oy Vey signs.

- Project Runway gets its winner

Possibly sounding even more of a death knell in Brooklyn than the invasion of hipsters or an Ikea, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz has invited Cracker Barrel representatives to look at the biggest borough as a possible venue for a new restaurant. Of course, the Southern chain's history of discriminating against, oh, blacks, women, gays and lesbians, has some city politicians up in arms: City Councilman Charles Barron tells the Daily News (who points out that Barron is a former Black Panther), "Is Marty out of his mind? That's ridiculous! I think it's insulting to our community that he would open his arms and take them on a tour without even consulting us. Does he know their reputation? Does he know their history?" Markowitz, slightly nonplussed, said, "I didn't know about their past; I've never been in a Cracker Barrel. I've already called and invited them. I can't now pick up the phone and say, 'Go, get out of here.'" This sounds like an awesome glimpse into what goes on in Borough President's offices: Cold calling companies to visit without researching them thoroughly.