As a newspaper, we value free speech. In fact, it’s one of the reasons we exist and are able to do our job. That’s why we, the editorial staff, find the actions of LuLu’s Burgers, in the face of one negative comment, a bit perplexing.
We get our fair share of negative comments about The East Texan, and we admit we probably deserve them sometimes. But, we also make a habit of never going after those that disagree with us, especially in any public manner. Our readers have a right to speak their mind on our Facebook, Twitter and website (within the parameters of decency, of course).
The fact that LuLu’s deleted a negative comment from their Facebook page is mildly alarming. If the whole ordeal they had with A&M-Commerce student Kraig Reeves had ended there, we probably would not be writing this editorial. It’s their actions, which involve going after Reeves and having a stab at his music major status, that we find the most troubling.
As a business that deals with a judgmental public every day, it is important to at least give the impression of valuing each customer and what they have to say, regardless of whether the business personnel agree with their complaints. We feel LuLu’s actions, in messaging Reeves in the repeated fashion they did, were in bad taste, and could only serve to alienate the establishment from what has been a loyal group of students and paying customers.