How a Social Media Post Became a Liability for Craft Brewer, Burger Shop

Following President-elect Donald Trump's election victory, an owner of Baltimore's Fuzzies Burgers posted a picture of Trump with upraised fist following the attempted assassination at Butler, Pa. The caption: "The people have spoken: Take it on the chin like an adult."

Except it wasn't Trump opponents who took it on the chin. It was Peabody Heights Brewery, after a screenshot of the post appeared on Reddit. Peabody Heights customers called the brewery to cut ties to Fuzzies over the political post, which it did, triggering another backlash.

“Peabody Heights Brewery lost my support … Too woke to support Freedom of speech. Sad what this country has become,” wrote one Facebook user.

“Kudos to Peabody Heights Brewery for caring about inclusiveness! You are definitely a class act!” said another.

This brewhaha is typical of the landmine in which businesses now find themselves operating. Recall that a social media post featuring a transgender influencer resulted in Bud Light falling from No. 1 in beer sales to No. 3. When Goya Foods's CEO praised Trump four years ago, liberals boycotted, but sales rose.

Generally, companies want the widest customer base possible. But there are exceptions: Ben & Jerry's has long taken progressive stances on environmental and social justice issues. The Chick-fil-A reflects its founder's Southern Baptist beliefs, closing its stores on Sunday and opposing same-sex marriage.

As the Bud Light case demonstrates, size does not protect you from a backlash related to publicizing your political stands. But as Ben & Jerry's and Chick-fil-A both show, a business that consistently takes political stands can be successful, even if it does lose as much as half its potential customers – provided it has a quality product, delivered at a reasonable price.