Cracker Barrel Lawsuit

[AKAtude]

***I meant to post this when I first heard about it a few weeks ago, but I thought someone would have mentioned it by now.***

Cracker Barrel hit with $100M civil rights lawsuit

WASHINGTON (AP) — Twenty-one people filed a $100 million federal lawsuit against Cracker Barrel restaurants Thursday, accusing the nationwide chain of widespread racism, from segregating black customers in the smoking section to denying them service.

It was the largest civil rights lawsuit against a restaurant chain since Denny's settled a $46 million discrimination lawsuit in 1994.

The suit, to be filed Thursday in federal court in Rome, Georgia, accuses Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. of systematic discrimination and documents acts of alleged racism in 175 cities in 30 states.

The restaurant chain, which for years has been known for its country store motif and homestyle cooking, owns and operates a chain of 450 restaurants in 37 states.

Cracker Barrel officials did not immediately return calls for comment by The Associated Press.

The plaintiffs are represented by one of the nation's largest civil rights law firms, Gordon, Silberman, Wiggins & Childs.

"The descriptions of the treatment endured by African American customers in these restaurants is appalling," said attorney David Sanford.

"It can't be the case that Cracker Barrel doesn't know about it," he told a news conference Thursday. "We have enough evidence right now to suggest that Cracker Barrel, to the very highest level, is responsible."

Much of the lawsuit focuses on the statements of black customers, recounting how they were forced to wait while white customers were promptly seated.

In one such case, Chandra Harmon, a resident of Smyrna, Ga., says she arrived at a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Chattanooga, Tenn., at 9:48 p.m. and was told by a server that the restaurant was about to close. At 10 p.m., Harmon watched as four white men were allowed into the restaurant. Through the window, she saw them eating and drinking.

"We had hungry children and he still refused to serve us," Harmon said of the incident in July, referring to the manager.

Later, the manager insisted the men were seated before Harmon arrived.

"There are perhaps thousands more African-Americans who have been denied service, treated rudely by servers and hosts, and subjected to racial slurs at Cracker Barrel restaurants," said Grant Morris, another attorney. "This is the tip of the iceberg."

The lawsuit also draws upon the statements of Judith Robertson, a former executive coordinator at Cracker Barrel's headquarters in Lebanon, Tenn. Robertson, who is white, was responsible for responding to complaints made by customers on the company's hotline.

In a statement, Robertson says the company received 300 calls describing discriminations against minority customers, many more than received by other customers. She said those calls were often discussed, and then dismissed casually, by Cracker Barrel managers.

[MeezDiscreet]

sometimes i get these "funny feelings" about places and cracker barrel is one such place. a few years back, my dad had suggested eating there and i refused. he thought i was being silly because i had never been there before. but something told me it wasn't on the up and up. i don't even like the name...

[AKAtude]

You and my mother felt the same way. She has always refused to eat there for some reason. She, too, disliked the name and always said the name was telling something. I've only eaten there once and wasn't impressed at all.

[Steeltrap]

This is not the first time Cracker Barrel has been involved in a discrimination case. It happened in the early 1990s, but I remember that case was regarding sexual orientation, not race.

I also declined to eat there when I was in the South.
The Original Pancake Houses were better.

[lovelyivy84]

Well I gotta disagree.

I have been to Cracker Barrel in CT a number of times and always recieved good service and good food.

The first time I went there I was a little leery of the name too, but a taste of the chicken-fried steak was enough to make me ok with it. I will be interested to see how the case proceeds, as it could determine whether or not I continue to patronize this store.


I mean damn, I avoided Denny's for YEARS. I still don't like to go there....

[dzsaigirl]

Hi. I thought I'd duck into your forum.

I had also heard about the various discrimination lawsuits against cracker barrel and it does make me feel strange about giving them business! I used to go there a lot and I think their food is good, but if it is true that their company acts in those ways, then I don't know if I would feel right going there anymore. Oh, and I agree that the name is slightly ironic...I had thought of that before!

[CrimsonTide4]

taken from BET.com

Denny's Faces Racism Charges -- Again
By Alex P. Kellogg, BET.com Staff Writer

Posted June 19, 2003 -- Once again Denny's is being accused of racism, this time by a Black Florida Highway Patrol trooper who says a restaurant employee put a toy pig in her food and then called her a "Black pig."

Barbara Levy filed suit against the Denny's in Ocala, FL, this month, alleging that a toy pig was put on her plate that imitated defecation when squeezed. Levy, who went to the restaurant with a fellow White trooper and three White county sheriffs, says in her complaint that when she asked the cook why he placed the pig on her plate she was told: "Well, that's what you are, a Black pig."

Denny's Corp. is not named in the suit. Foster, Inc., which owns the Denny's named in the suit, is listed in the complaint. The company has declined to identify the waiter who served Levy or the cook who placed the pig on her plate, but says that both were fired the day after the incident took place.

Former Ocala Mayor E.L. Forster, the president of the company, told the Associated Press that he "took great exception to them sending a pig to an officer's table," but said he did not see any racial connotations to the incident. He also said that every restaurant employee is required to complete Denny's required diversity training.

Denny's began describing itself as a "new company" after settling a series of discrimination lawsuits filed in the early 1990s. The company was accused at the time of making Blacks pay for meals before they ate. To settle the suits, the company dished out $54 million in 1994.

What do you think? How should the Black community respond to this recent incident at Denny's, given the company's past experiences? Should one or two employees' actions reflect poorly on an entire company? Sound off by clicking "Discuss Now."

[RedefinedDiva]

Originally posted by CrimsonTide4
Former Ocala Mayor E.L. Forster, the president of the company, told the Associated Press that he "took great exception to them sending a pig to an officer's table," but said he did not see any racial connotations to the incident. He also said that every restaurant employee is required to complete Denny's required diversity training.

Diversity training? Obviously, it isn't working.

How could he not see the racial connotations of the comment? For one, why are people placing ANYTHING in their food or on their plates that isn't on the menu? Secondly, why place a toy that simulates defecation on someone's plate? Third, why was she the only officer to get one? Isn't "pig" an old slang term for police? If she was with a group of officers, everyone should have gotten one. Why was she referred to as a BLACK pig? Man, the future lawyer in me is coming out!

WE need to stop patronizing these restaurants that don't respect us. We are good to bus the tables, cook the food, take out the trash, mop and clean, yet we aren't good enough to receive adequate service. That's why I limit my restaurant visits. If I do go out, I try to visit Black-owned establishments. This is getting ridiculous.

[Gina1201]

I'm upset that this continues to happen. Something similar happened to a Denny's in Syracuse involving SU students. That Denny's is now closed.

I personally have never had anything wrong done to me while I was at a Denny's.