Golden Corral, White Castle, Cracker Barrel sue Pilgrim’s Pride and other chicken companies in ongoing antitrust row

GREELEY — Three national restaurant chains have filed antitrust lawsuits against Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. (Nasdaq: PPC) and other major players in the chicken industry, claiming that new indictments by the U.S. Department of Justice show they may have been affected by an alleged anti-competitive scheme.

Golden Corral, White Castle and Cracker Barrel filed suits in the U.S. District Court of Northern Illinois last Friday, while Cracker Barrel filed its lawsuit on Monday. The allegations from the three are substantially similar to the antitrust claims in a lawsuit filed by Bob Evans Farms Inc., a subsidiary of…