Why Some Restaurants Feel Uneasy About Using Martin's Bread
When it comes to bread, many people look no further than Martin's. According to a news release distributed by PR Newswire, Martin's potato products consistently rank as New York City's favorite bread products. Martin's bread is even used at countless restaurants across the U.S., including Shake Shack, per Eater. One chef further described the rolls as "magic" and made use of the rolls in his Texas restaurant after discovering Martin's on a trip to New York.
Martin's bread claims to be "delicious to serve at the nicest dinners," a hilarious detail pointed out by TikTok. The products available on Martin's website range from various flavors of potato bread loaves to potato bread stuffing and numerous shapes and sizes of potato bread rolls.
However, Martin's long-time popularity might have reached its limit. The company recently aligned itself with a controversial Pennsylvanian politician, leading many restaurants and bakeries to back away from Martin's products. But what exactly does potato bread have to do with politics?
Martin's donates big money to one senator's campaign fund
A number of Pennsylvanian businesses are opting to stop using Martin's potato bread products, given the company's political standings. According to Billy Penn, Martin's has donated more than $100,000 to Senator Doug Mastriano's campaign.
Mastriano has been labeled an "election denier," as well as being a supporter of a total ban on abortions (via The Takeout). Furthermore, Mastriano paid for charter buses that brought rioters to the Capitol on January 6, per Politico.
On Reddit, many former Martin's fans pledged to buy from other brands moving forward. One person commented, "It's not like there aren't options in the potato roll game." Others said they would be boycotting Shake Shack as well.
However, not everyone takes issue with Martin's political views. One Redditor wrote, "What the Martin family does with their money doesn't have anything to do with me." Another Redditor added, "I honestly couldn't care less about the political inclination of my hamburger bun." Nevertheless, while some don't care about how the company uses its money, other people and businesses are moving elsewhere for potato bread products.