Next News Network

Portland, once a thriving city, has been hit hard by a recent crime wave caused by the city’s poor policy decisions and defunded police force. Now as a consequence one of the nations largest restaurant chains have announced their departure.

While many people have pointed fingers at what they see as an agenda to create an environment ripe for theft, this bad management doesn’t change the sad reality that cities around America could soon face a similar fate.

Fox business reports, after Walmart announced its departure due to escalating crime and theft, Cracker Barrel became the latest company to announce it will leave the Portland, Oregon, area.

COVID-19 pandemic prompted Cracker Barrel to close its last Portland-area eateries, which it has over 600 locations nationwide.

Cracker Barrel said in a statement “As a standard course of business, we continually evaluate the performance of our stores, using various criteria to ensure we are meeting the needs of our guests and our business.”

Cracker Barrel corporate continued in their statement “With that, we are saddened that we have been unable to overcome the impact the pandemic had on our business and have made the difficult decision to close the Beaverton, Tualatin, and Bend locations on March 20. The decision to close a store is never one we take lightly, and our focus right now is in assisting our impacted employees during this transition.”

In a statement to Fox Business asking for specifics on what aspects of the pandemic led to the closures, a Cracker Barrel spokesperson said, “Like so many other businesses, our business has been affected by the pandemic, and staffing and profitable operations have been difficult.” Our doors couldn’t be kept open despite the extra effort we put in.”

This news comes as recently Walmart has decided to close their Portland locations. In Portland, Oregon, Walmart will permanently close all of its locations due to financial reasons.

KPTV reported that Walmart employees will have the option to transfer to Walmart locations outside the city. In addition, pharmacy staff will assist customers in transferring their prescriptions to Walmarts nearby.

The announcements come just a few months after the Walmart CEO warned stores could close and prices could increase in light of sky-high retail crimes affecting stores across the country.

Walmart CEO Doug McMillion stated “Theft is an issue. It’s higher than what it has historically been, prices will be higher and/or stores will close if authorities don’t crack down on prosecuting shoplifting crimes. “

It is a sad day for Portland as two more businesses flee the city due to the increasing crime wave. CEO’s have pointed fingers at poor management, lack of resources, and bad policies for creating an environment where theft and fear are commonplace. By defunding the police, it has enabled criminals to boldly act with no fear of consequence. Now citizens will bear the burden as their communities feel the strain from losing major companies in their cities. This is a wake-up call that should not be ignored, a message that shows when baseless agendas are allowed to take root, businesses will ultimately suffer and local economies are forced into turmoil and despair.