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Yaaaasss, Queens: The #TimesUp Movement Coming to a Medieval Times Restaurant Near You!
Even 11th century tournament restaurants are embracing feminism (and we're not mad at it).
When you think of Medieval Times, the first things that come to mind are probably royal pageantry, high-soaring falcons, extremely realistic jousting, and surprisingly good tomato soup. (No? Just me?) You probably do not think of fourth-wave feminism and the #TimesUp movement. But hey, this is post-Weinstein America and even 11th century Spanish tournament dining experiences are doing their part.
The chain restaurant and dinner theater is switching up its show: After a successful 34-year run that has always had a king at the helm, Medieval Times will now officially be ruled by queens. According to the New York Times, a female ruler recently took over the Chicago restaurant (sorry, castle), and by the end of 2018, queens will rule over all nine locations (sorry, kingdoms). For those of you who frequent Medieval Times and are concerned about continuity, don’t fret: The story is a sequel wherein the queen has inherited the throne from her late father.
The director of the show, Leigh Cordner, began rewriting the script almost a year and a half ago, well before the sexual harassment conversation had taken over the national spotlight. Apparently, fervent Medieval Times fans had been asking why women were always relegated to roles of princesses and wenches, and Cordner decided it was time to change things up. “The fact that a woman is sitting on the throne in our show at the same time the gender equality movement hit is a coincidence,” Cordner said.
Coincidence or not, the timing is perfect, and we hope this move inspires other restaurants to follow suit. Burger Queen? Carly’s Jr.? Mama John’s? WE CAN KEEP GOING.
