Fact Check

No, Guy Fieri Did Not Cancel Garth Brooks’ Reservation at His Restaurant

The restaurateur had been spotted with Donald Trump at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event in July 2023.

Published Jul 13, 2023

 (U.S. Department of Defense/Wikimedia Commons)
Image Via U.S. Department of Defense/Wikimedia Commons
Claim:
Guy Fieri canceled singer Garth Brooks’ reservation at his restaurant after hearing Brooks was bringing a camera crew and wanted to be served Bud Light beer.

In July 2023, online publication The Dunning-Kruger Times posted a story with the headline, "Guy Fieri Cancels Garth Brooks' Regular Reservation: 'There's No Bud Light Here.' 

 Many lauded Fieri for his alleged cancelation of Brooks' reservation:

 

The story referred to online criticism of Fieri after he was spotted greeting former U.S. President Donald Trump at an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event in July 2023, with many fans speculating that the restaurateur supported Trump and his conservative policies. According to the Dunning-Kruger Times, in response to Fieri's Trump meeting, country singer Garth Brooks made a reservation at one of Fieri's restaurants and planned to bring a camera crew and order lots of Bud Light beer. In response, Fieri canceled Brooks' reservation. 

The article stated: 

After Guy Fieri was spotted at a UFC event with former President Donald Trump, he was immediately thrust into the culture war of the liberals. Within hours they began calling him a sellout and boycotting his restaurants.

He stayed out of it, for the most part, until he heard about a strange note on a reservation request from none other than Garth Brooks. "The note said he was bringing a camera crew and to have plenty of Bud Light ready," said Fieri's BBQ and Gastropub Manager Joe Barron, "so I called GFuy and told him Brooks was staging some kind of gotcha moment."

Fieri responded by personally canceling Brooks' reservation. "He called him directly and told him there are two things he refuses to serve: Bud Light and Him." Barron seemed pleased with his boss' actions.

As for Brooks, he's been having issues getting a reservation anywhere in Nashville after he called conservatives who love their country "a-holes." It remains to be seen if he'll ever learn his lesson.

This article is a work of satire and originated from a website that describes itself as satirical in nature. Dunning-Kruger Times "About" page states it "is a subsidiary of the 'America's Last Line of Defense' network of parody, satire, and tomfoolery, or as Snopes called it before they lost their war on satire: Junk News." There is also no verifiable news coverage that such an interaction ever occurred between Brooks and Fieri. 

The website elaborates:

Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie and it is not fake news because it is not real. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined. Any similarities between this site's pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical. See above if you're still having an issue with that satire thing.

Bud Light faced controversy over an online promotion of a Bud Light contest by transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in April 2023, resulting in backlash from conservatives who urged drinkers to boycott the company. In response, singer Garth Brooks announced that his new bar in Nashville would serve beers that included Bud Light. 

Brooks later said, "Everybody's got their opinions. But inclusiveness is always going to be me." 

The above satirical post appeared to be targeting Brooks' comments. Given the nature of the Dunning-Kruger Times website and that there is no evidence Fieri ever cancelled a reservation by Brooks, we rate this claim as "Labeled Satire." 

Sources

"About Us." Dunning-Kruger-Times.Com, https://dunning-kruger-times.com/about-us/. Accessed 13 July 2023.

Holpuch, Amanda. "Behind the Backlash Against Bud Light." The New York Times, 30 June 2023. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/article/bud-light-boycott.html. Accessed 13 July 2023.

Patriot, Flagg Eagleton-. "Guy Fieri Cancels Garth Brooks' Regular Reservation: 'There's No Bud Light Here.'" Dunning-Kruger-Times.Com, 11 July 2023, https://dunning-kruger-times.com/guy-fieri-cancels-garth-brooks-regular-reservation-theres-no-bud-light-here/. Accessed 13 July 2023.

Saxena, Jaya. "Of Course Guy Fieri Was Nice to Trump." Eater, 10 July 2023, https://www.eater.com/23789874/guy-fieri-donald-trump-ufc-drama. Accessed 13 July 2023.

Nur Nasreen Ibrahim is a reporter with experience working in television, international news coverage, fact checking, and creative writing.

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