True to its name, the Atlas Restaurant Group has become a titan of the dining industry in Baltimore and beyond.
They own over 30 restaurants, bars, and “entertainment concepts” across the country, consistently earning awards and rave reviews for their food, atmosphere, and service. And with more eateries on the horizon, Atlas appears to have no plans of stopping their growth.
The Baltimore-based group employs more than 2,000 people across five states and Washington, D.C., and thousands of locals consider their restaurants destination-dining spots for special occasions and events worth remembering.
Atlas has also been embroiled in multiple controversies. There was the 2020 incident at their Ouzo Bay restaurant where a white manager denied entry to a Black mother and her nine-year-old son because of the son’s athletic wear. But video showed a nearby white child wearing similar clothing who was permitted to dine there with his family. The story made national news, and Atlas apologized, declaring they were “sickened” by the incident. They also changed their dress policy to no longer apply to children under the age of 12.
This was the not their first dress-code dust-up, however.
The week before Atlas opened their Choptank restaurant in 2019, they released a dress code that drew accusations of discrimination targeting Black people. Atlas defended their dress code in the interest of atmosphere, but the outcry eventually led them to revise it…minimally.
The owners of the restaurant group were skewered other incidents, as well as for their political contributions and ties to right-wing media companies.
The restaurants remain extremely popular, drawing world-class chefs and fans aplenty. Supporters defend the group’s economic impact and charitable giving, particularly during COVID-19.
But Atlas also continues to have plenty of critics.
One artist called Mowgli has created an anti-Atlas bumper sticker campaign, giving them away for free to anyone who sent them a request on Instagram. Their “Don’t Eat Atlas” stickers first appeared on the artist’s Instagram in July 2021.
Soon the stickers were popping up around the city, and the artist was completely out of stock having given them all away.
Once they restocked, they’d notify fans on Instagram with instructions on how to contact them. One regular envelope could net a person eight of the stickers for free, while supplies lasted.
Some who posted the stickers took their own creative liberties, which Mowgli took in stride.
However, the beef took a turn when they noticed a popular Instagram account called Baltimore Humor appearing to take a personal swipe at Mowgli.
Note the “Atlas Hater” Halloween costume contains a white person with a long beard and a beanie hat and a “Don’t Eat Atlas” sticker on the laptop. Mowgli is a person of color. The “Includes” items list a gift card to Clavel (a favorite restaurant of the artist’s) and a pet cat (also something beloved by the artist).
In Mowgli’s post showing what appears to be a screenshot of the Baltimore Humor post, they call out Atlas Restaurant Group for whitewashing them, ripping off their art, and hiding behind an anonymous Instagram account. The humor account has significant reach, with 56,500 followers.
The post on Baltimore Humor’s Instagram account appears to have been removed.
Baltimore Fishbowl has attempted to reach Baltimore Humor, Mowgli, and Atlas Restaurant Group, but has received no response in each case.
The joke about the cheap Spirit costume is that they always use some generic milque toast white model. Why do artists have no sense of humor?