Owners of Toast on Lenox didn’t need permission to talk to Rick Jackson
There’s something deeply troubling about the outrage directed at Toast on Lenox, and it has nothing to do with brunch.
It has everything to do with whether Americans are still allowed to sit down, shake hands, take a picture and have a conversation without being subjected to a political loyalty test or have their morals questioned.
AJC columnist Nedra Rhone argues in her column “Toast on Lenox owners should know glad-handing isn’t always an asset” that the restaurant failed its customers because a photograph with Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson created the perception of an endorsement.
I disagree. The failure belongs to a culture that has convinced people that a picture is proof of political allegiance.
Has Toast on Lenox not proved its commitment to the Atlanta metro community already through giving to causes? Has Toast on Lenox not proved its commitment to its customers by hiring almost a 100% African American workforce?
Restaurant owners are in the hospitality business, not the endorsement business. Restaurants are small businesses, not propaganda spreaders. Their favorite color is green, not red or blue.
Are we supposed to vet every restaurateur’s politics?
If an elected official, candidate, celebrity or community leader walks into your establishment, are you supposed to ask for their voting record before saying hello? Should every owner screen customers based on ideology? Is the expectation now that businesses become political gatekeepers?
More importantly, am I now supposed to ask before I sit down: Who owns your business? Who did they vote for last election? Are they Christian, Muslim or an atheist? And if they are an atheist, should I not go in and enjoy the great food, awesome service and fair prices?
That isn’t hospitality. That’s tribalism.
I happen to love Marcel on Howell Mill. I don’t know Marcel. I don’t know who he voted for or even if his name is really Marcel.
Toast on Lenox welcomed a candidate into its restaurant. Those at the restaurant served him food. They spoke with him. They took a photograph. None of those actions amount to an endorsement any more than serving a Democrat would make them Democratic operatives.
The dangerous assumption underlying this controversy is that merely speaking with someone politically different somehow contaminates you. The more disappointing part of this discussion is the idea that Jackson’s values don’t match metro Atlanta’s based on his campaign ads.
Well, the “city to busy to hate” is a city that values its corporate giving, which arguably has been a part of the growth of this great city. Jackson has given away his fortune starting 20 years ago. That giving has gone to many different causes, such as foster care and children’s causes. If that is not your values, then I am concerned what your values really are.
A handshake isn’t a campaign contribution
If we truly believe America is hopelessly divided, shouldn’t we celebrate more conversations instead of demanding fewer?
Rhone criticizes the owners for saying in a social media post, “A Discussion is not a Vote.”
She wrote: “Not only did their response fail to address customers’ concerns about their values, but their actions revealed a disappointing naivete from otherwise savvy business owners.”
But that’s precisely the point.
A discussion isn’t a vote.
A handshake isn’t a campaign contribution.
A selfie isn’t an endorsement.
And lunch certainly isn’t a political commercial.
Think about that for a moment.
We’re now suggesting that entrepreneurs owe ideological explanations simply because a politician visited their business. What happens when a rapper enters the business? Should the business be concerned with that rapper’s rap sheet, lyrics or videos?
That’s a standard we would never consistently apply.
Customers should feel welcome at any restaurant
Would we demand that every restaurant explain itself after hosting Democratic gubernatorial nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms? U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock? U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff? 2018 and 2022 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams?
Or is this outrage reserved only for Republicans?
Consistency matters.
Rhone argues that trust is a business’s greatest asset. I agree.
But trust cuts both ways.
Customers should be able to trust that a neighborhood restaurant welcomes everyone through its doors. Business owners should be able to trust that extending basic courtesy won’t ignite a social media firestorm demanding they declare their political purity.
The marketplace works because consumers have choices. If someone doesn’t want to eat somewhere, that’s their right.
But organizing outrage because someone shared a meal with a political opponent isn’t consumer activism. It’s social coercion.
Toast on Lenox shouldn’t have had to apologize for serving a customer.
And America shouldn’t have to apologize for having a conversation.
Shelley Wynter is the host of the “Shelley Wynter Show,” which airs from 7-9 p.m. weekdays on 95.5 FM WSB: Atlanta’s News & Talk radio. He has endorsed Jackson for governor and incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in his bid for reelection.
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