ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A popular restaurant in Central Florida is no longer serving Bud Light after the beer received backlash for partnering with a transgender TikTok influencer during March Madness.
The backlash and boycott against Bud Light started earlier this month when TikTok influencer, Dylan Mulvaney, shared a post of a $15,000 giveaway sponsored by Bud Light and mentioned that the beer giant had sent her a tallboy can with her face on it to celebrate her 365-day milestone since she transitioned, according to the New York Times.
Recommended Videos
Joe Penovich, the owner of Grills Seafood Deck & Tiki Bar, made a Facebook post on Monday afternoon, addressing another social media post that alleged the restaurant stopped its sale of Bud Light because they “hate Dylan Mulvaney and the gay community.” Penovich said “nothing could be further from the truth in our hearts and minds.”
“Myself, management and our employees are devastated by the fact that this post deeply hurt members of the gay community and our employees that we have cared about and treated with the same non-judgmental respect we have given everyone for over 25 years. This for me personally and Grills as a company, is the first time we have really experienced an attempt to defame our character,” Penovich wrote.
Penovich confirmed that the restaurant stopped selling Bud Light “because of their support of something that is in direct opposition to our Biblical faith.”
“Our decision was made with many tears for this circumstance and what we see as corporate greed and a deeper spiritual reality coming upon this world. Setting aside a deeper dive into our Biblical viewpoints for now, we believe transgenderism is a social experiment causing irreversible damage to a growing population of younger and younger children. We will not align with it in any way,” he said in the post.
Anheuser-Busch, the brewing company that owns many beer brands, including Bud Light, released a statement on Friday, April 14, about the controversy.
“We’re honored to be part of the fabric of this country. Anheuser-Busch employs more than 18,000 people and our independent distributors employ an additional 47,000 valued colleagues. We have thousands of partners, millions of fans and a proud history supporting our communities, military, first responders, sports fans and hard-working Americans everywhere,” CEO Brendan Whitworth wrote. “We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.”
Penovich said a letter was sent to Anheuser-Busch that outlines the restaurant’s decision to stop selling Bud Light.
Penovich said the letter would be made available publicly.
Grills Seafood Deck & Tiki Bar has locations in Orlando, Melbourne and Port Canaveral.
Read the Facebook post below:
Check out the Florida Foodie podcast. You can find every episode in the media player below: