Nothing says "I support minority entrepreneurs" quite like trying to torch a Black woman's restaurant because she had the audacity to serve food to someone from the wrong political party. That's basically what former Atlanta mayor and current gubernatorial hopeful Keisha Lance Bottoms decided to do when she jumped on the bandwagon calling for a boycott of Toast on Lenox, a beloved local eatery, after it hosted rival gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson. As The American Tribune reported, the irony here is thicker than a stack of the restaurant's pancakes.
Bottoms didn't actually name the business directly, but she did amplify all that "online chatter" about Jackson's visit and issued what can only be described as a thinly veiled threat. She warned that anyone who welcomes Jackson has "made a calculated decision based on the benefits and the risks of doing that." So apparently in 2026 Georgia, letting a Republican walk through your door and sit down for a meal is now a high stakes gamble. Somebody alert the health inspectors, because the real hazard here is partisan nonsense.
Rick Jackson's campaign spokesperson, Garrison Douglas, fired back with a pretty devastating reminder. He pointed out that roughly 100 small businesses in Atlanta permanently closed their doors thanks to Bottoms' COVID era policies. "Now she wants to cancel Georgia small businesses based on who they let through the door," Douglas said. He also added that Jackson, if elected governor, would fight for all 11 million Georgians regardless of party affiliation and ensure that opportunity has no zip code or political loyalty test.
The restaurant itself wasn't about to take this lying down either. Toast on Lenox posted a statement on Instagram clarifying that any photos snapped with guests, along with whatever political opinions were shared in social media posts, reflected that individual's views and absolutely not the restaurant's stance. The owners emphasized that their establishment "has always been a place where all people are welcomed with the same hospitality and respect." They stressed that their mission as Black entrepreneurs centers on community service, job creation, and great hospitality, not picking sides in elections.
Co-owner and chef Virgil Harper also weighed in with his own post, writing simply, "A Discussion is not a Vote," and tagging it with the hashtag #StayWoke. Pretty measured response from someone whose livelihood is being threatened because a politician ate at his restaurant.
This boycott obsession isn't exactly new territory for Bottoms. During the pandemic, she slammed Atlanta back into shutdown mode, which crushed local businesses so badly that Georgia actually took the city to court to stop her from imposing additional closures. Then in 2021, she celebrated when Major League Baseball pulled its All-Star Game out of Georgia over election integrity legislation, a move that cost the state more than $100 million. She called it the "first of many dominoes to fall."
So to recap, Bottoms shut down businesses during COVID, cheered when MLB cost her state nine figures, and now wants to boycott a Black-owned restaurant for being hospitable. Consistency isn't exactly her strong suit.
Read more American news stories at: The American Tribune
