UPDATE: This story has been updated with a statement from the owner of Grills Seafood.
According to a story by The Space Coast Rocket, Grills Seafood has decided to join the anti-Bud Light train and to take it off of the menu and may have gone so far as to destroy its inventory of product it had purchased for its locations across Central Florida and the Space Coast.
The Independent media outlet, The Space Coast Rocket, shared on Saturday, April 15, that a number of patrons at the Cape Canaveral location shared on social media that they were told that they were no longer serving Bud Light. One diner shared that the announcement was made in the middle of their meal after already being served a Bud Light when they first made their order.
The Rocket shared a quote from a diner who says they overheard a manager tell bar staff, that they don’t “… serve faggot beer.” Though we couldn’t confirm that quote with Grills Seafood.
Management at the Orlando location on Orange Blossom Trail, Grill’s Lakeside (Website), shared that the move to discontinue serving Bud Light had indeed been made company-wide, though there was no official statement about the motivation behind the move. Management shared that they would continue to serve all other Anheuser-Busch beer labels and they were careful to mention that the move was not exactly in response to recent headlines saying, “There’s been no official word from our ownership about why we’ve gotten rid of it [Bud Light] but everyone seems to be making the connection.”
Anheuser-Busch is facing an estimated $5 billion loss in market value following backlash from conservatives who disapproved of a marketing campaign that featured transgender activist, Dylan Mulvaney. Mulvaney posted on April 1 about a $15,000 giveaway that the company had sponsored during March Madness, mentioning that she had been given a special tallboy can with her face on it to celebrate a full year of her “Days of Girlhood” series documenting her transition online. She has more than 1.8 million followers on Instagram.
The company’s CEO, Brendan Whitworth, issued a statement on Friday in response to the backlash, saying:
The last time we wrote about Grills Restaurants was HERE in 2021 when the owner, Joe Penovich, made a public statement sharing that he would not be requiring his staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 because God told him not to.
Penovich shared the following statement online later today.
A beer company doesn’t align with their religious views, rich. I also don’t believe or appreciate the follow up statement trying to backpedal. This is so unfortunate, because they were one of my fav spots (Orlando and Cocoa).
Hopefully Orlando and cocoa beach will become one and support each other and boycott this unfortunate place. Send them light & love, they need it for acceptance of the human being in this world.
https://www.newsweek.com/half-americas-10-most-popular-beers-have-lgbt-partnerships-1793173?amp=1
Mr. editor in chief, very irresponsible of you to state, “backlash from conservatives” in your story. Are you making a point that only conservatives don’t like transgenderism forced down our throats? In fact, I believe many libs, moderates, independents also don’t appreciate corporate wokeism, not just conservatives. You are playing identity politics with this story. You must be trying to score points with the Biden administration’s transgender agenda.
Joe Penovich- I am a commercial realtor specializing in your area. Call me if you need assistance selling your building. I have a client interested in a waterfront restaurant.
Christian/Jewish Bible and eating shellfish are a hypocrisy. Shellfish are mostly what they serve. I wont eat there again.
Still not gonna drink Anheiser-Bush products regardless of their marketing.
This is sad. I’ve dined multiple times from Grills; the food is great. However, I cannot use my dollars to support bigotry.
Goodbye Grills.
Ha, no need to avoid Grills for their obvious bigotry, the bland food is reason enough. Not to mention their discontent for their patrons that grew up with Sunday fish fry after church. Just read their menu and you’ll see the owners arrogance. It was a one and done visit from me years ago.
Since I would never consider eating their horrible food anyway, WTF do they think we’d care if they no longer serve Bud Light? I’ll just go somewhere with better food that DOES. Pseudo Christians are the most hateful people.
If you read the comments, you will see that the majority recognizes Grills Seafood as the 3rd rate watering hole that it is. The pseudo-Christian owner will drive this place into the ground- no loss except for the employees who will lose their jobs.
So unfortunate. This was always the place to go in Cocoa. No more.
We don’t need queer. Beer
A religious hater strikes again! Why is it that Someone that served something a few moments before can decide to discontinue it in theddle of a meal? Hate any religion that allows hate to be thier guidance! Promise that Until Grills apologies and closes down I nor my friends will go there!
Great , one more place added to the list to now not spend my money at. Besides the food and service was always horrible and now I see why.
Grills food sucks anyways. Overpriced Fillet of fish you can get at mikeyD’s. Good luck with your Right Wing christians, keeping your dump open. Real dumb ass business move dude.
And Bonnie, I have heard management says way worth things in establishments that I will never patronize again. Get out of your bubble.
Please don’t write “unknown sources making unverified comments” and writing it as news. I can guarantee nobody said we don’t sell f*** beer. Ridiculous.
Oh now I get the picture about the grill company a far right individual and their idiosyncratic thinking , our world is a mix of all kind of people and we should all love each other for the good of our country no matter what their genders, sexual , orientation , you name it etc etc It’s very sad to see this kind of behavior from anyone here in the USA or other places and we wonder now why we have such a divided country!
Fuck Grills! How disgusting of them to care about who someone else loves!
And that’s just one more reason why we don’t patronize this restaurant anymore.
Good for Grills!! Great food!!!
Well I will no longer eat at Grill’s.
Joe Penevich needs a good therapist! BUD LIGHT you are welcome in my home.