The scariest thing this past October for Clemson’s downtown Moe’s wasn’t Halloween, but how quickly they saw some of the Clemson community turn against them.
On October 11, Barstool Clemson Twitter posted a series of photos showing employees at Moe’s turning their sign of the Clemson Paw upside down. This incident provoked some outrage from alumni and students alike in the Barstool comments condemning Moe’s for being “anti-Clemson.”
Barstool Clemson captioned the photos saying, “The evolution of @Moes_HQ revolting against Clemson.” Many Clemson fans commented they would not return to Moe’s with remarks like “No Moe for me” or “Will never spend another cent at that place. Dead to me.”
The post showed a three-photo progression of Moe’s employees actively flipping the sign upside down.
Out of the 23 comments, only one commenter saw the possible dishonesty in the post, writing, “I’m willing to bet (these pictures are) in reverse order. I bet a customer (turned it) upside-down.”
“We would never do anything to disrespect Clemson,” said Steve Smith, the owner of the Moe’s downtown on College Avenue. He was also reassuring that his employees are “avid” Clemson fans.
He explained the situation, saying that painters accidentally flipped the sign after repainting the establishment. Employees turned it back around, but pictures were taken and put out of order on social media. The result on Barstool appeared to show the paw upside down. Later, an unnamed customer flipped the sign again to take another picture, which also ended up on Barstool.
Barstool Clemson did not comment on the situation.
Since Barstool Clemson has 37,000 followers on Twitter alone, claiming a business is “revolting against Clemson” could potentially damage Moe’s business, especially when located in one of Clemson’s most populated areas.
“This was a misunderstanding, and the sign was immediately placed in the correct position,” said Angie Champsaur, a representative in Moe’s Atlanta-based headquarters. “The paw is proudly displayed in the restaurant.”
The business did not receive any threats in person, but misinformation can damage a business, especially in a college town. With 284 likes, nine retweets, and six quote tweets, this tweet can be seen on hundreds of other timelines, and many people could have decided to stop eating at Moe’s without actively engaging with the post.
According to Smith, Moe’s has been a part of the Clemson community since 2005 and has had its fair share of run-ins with students. He recalled an experience where sinks were ripped out, but he said he understands that ”things happen in college towns.”
Many strange things have happened within the Clemson community, but this was one of the strangest. At the pinnacle of spooky season, it’s scary to see how misinformation behind the screen can get more attention than the truth right in front of us.
