Black customers file $100 million civil rights lawsuit against Cracker Barrel restaurants

AP ^ | 12-13-01 | Christopher Newton

[Oldeconomybuyer]

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.

[oyez]

You can't get hog maws, oxtales or neck bones there.

CB is too successful for somepeople. It time to make them giveback.

Cracker Barrel may be one of the finest run businesses in the country. I once had a problem where our order was lost. I later taked with reginal manager who really went great length to redress the problem. Apairently these people didn't see the management, but instead ran to the legal profession. I hope the case is thown out.

[stainlessbanner]

Furthermore it is reported that black customers were sometimes served food that had been discarded in the trash.

I hope you ate some Trashcan Bacon, dude.

[wardaddy]

Cracka' barrel for instance ....you're too sly by half. BTW, yep I do believe that most racism in this nation is in the reverse form of the original. My tribe has been sensitized to the point of paralysis on the issue. Not me of course.

[Harrison Bergeron]

"How can a business defend against something like this?"

One way, and one way only. Remember when Bob Barr was accused of uttering a racial slur by a black female airport guard last year before the elections? The only thing that got him off was having a witness "of color" to vouch that the accuser was lying. Neither Barr's word, nor the word of white witnesses, was enough to clear his name.

[Jadge]

I worked at a Cracker Barrell for years throughout college, and I never saw anything close to this. In fact half of the staff was black. It was a big family, no bigotry from anyone.

[Smogger]

I do believe that most racism in this nation is in the reverse form of the original.

Gibberish.. Sound like you got persecuted white man's syndrome.

My tribe has been sensitized to the point of paralysis on the issue. Not me of course.

Your what?

[wardaddy]

Very good dude.....unfortunately this is just what the little twit wants so he can call on the powers that be to kill the thread then he can sit back smugly and enjoy another notch in his belt against the dreaded racists here on FR. How this dude or dudette has lasted a year here is beyond me.

Nice wit....wish I'd thought of it...but then again I'm a dimwitted racist since I question the use of the word itself.

[sandydipper]

Quick - What is Mary Francis Berry's 800 number. She is probably waiting by the phone. And don't worry they'll have a report and a reccomendation out by this time 2012.

Your Gov't. at it's best!

[dobbyman]

I have eaten at Cracker Barrels in Massachusets, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and I think also North Carolina. I have never seen such events as described by the suit ; but instead only the opposite, I see black people very happily eating at Cracker Barrels and seem to be repat customers of Cracker Barrels. I see the hosts seating customers of all races with the utmost courtesy. Frequently there are waiting lines to get a table at cracker barrels because of their popularity and I find the host taking the reservations and giving out approximate time of waits with the utmost courtesy. This suit is such hogwash and criminal in its intent and a sign of our times - that now the criminals use the legal system to legally rob from the innocent and hard working. Dobbyman

[wardaddy]

You seem to have a pattern of not understanding replies directed at you. Sorry my tax dollars paid for your public school un-education. When you grow up son why don't you come back here and try again.

[Huck]

You can't get hog maws, oxtales or neck bones there.

No, but you can get turnip greens -- cooked with Ham Hocks & served with corn bread.

[ohioman]

"I patronized a CB restaurant for the first time ever about two months ago, and I have to say I saw this coming. I assume most or all CBs are like the ones I went to and they are very rural-themed and old-timey and harken to a bygone, white world. I knew immediately that somebody somewhere was going to be pissed about it. I don't believe for a minute that these people have been discriminated against or had any real problems, other than they perceive the restaurant's themes and motifs leave them out."

You are probably right. How dare any restaurant celebrate rural America (i.e, the Red States).

[JoeSchem]

Nonesense dozen of "white" employees will testify that the company condoned discrimination against white customers according to the report I heard on KNX1070 (LA) this morning.

I assume by 'discriminated against white customers' you meant 'discriminated against black customers' and by 'testify' you mean 'lie.'

Furthermore it is reported that black customers were sometimes served food that had been discarded in the trash.

If they're going to serve older food to black people, why not just keep it on the kitchen counters? Why throw it in the trash, when you'll have to stoop over and scoop it up and put it back on the counter again? I mean, if you're going to come up with lies, please try to make them plausible!

If I ever discovered some *astards at a restaraunt served me food from a trashcan it would take all of my strength and a lot of prayer to keep from coming back and shooting every muther in the place.

I once read that when Andrew Young was a waiter in a restaurant, if he felt that a white customer was being rude to him, he would spit in their food. This was not a second-hand account. Andrew Young boasted about it himself.

Fortunately, the white customers never found out about it, or some racist might have come back to the restaurant and shot every 'muther' in the place.

[gcraig]

those people

Yup. Those morons who don't know how to feed their kids and who file frivolous law suits. Oh, they are black? I don't notice race, so don't even think about going in a direction where you are going to try to call me a racist. I defend AMERICA!

[wardaddy]

bump...excellent point.

[Smogger]

..unfortunately this is just what the little twit wants so he can call on the powers that be to kill the thread then he can sit back smugly and enjoy another notch in his belt against the dreaded racists here on FR...

Huh? I am sure the other thread was yanked because it was identical to this one. I would never dream snitching to a moderator to get a thread pulled. Even a thread full of comments I find distasteful as this is the essence of freedom of speech. If you think the thread got yanked do to overt and covertly racist comments I suggest you look inward. If you don't believe me why don't you contact the moderator and find out if I snitched on the thread.

[Timesink]

How can a business defend against something like this?

It's quite simple: Go Scientologist on their asses. Get the meanest lawyers they can find, and sue sue sue sue sue sue everyone involved in launching the lawsuit for every little minor thing they can think of. And sue them as individuals, until they are destroyed.

The simple and sad reality is that the courts themselves are the ONLY recourse we have against such misuse of, well, the courts. It's just that most people and organizations are unwilling to truly fight back. They'll "defend themselves," but they won't FIGHT BACK.

[Smogger]

Sorry my tax dollars paid for your public school un-education. When you grow up son why don't you come back here and try again.

Sorry chap but I have only had private (Catholic) school education. You know? One that hopefully teaches morality and tolerance. Concepts your not familiar with.

[wardaddy]

You don't need to hit the abuse button on a race issue thread junior. They watch 'em like hawks. Nor do they routinely can duplicate threads. I've never FReepmailed a moderator to ask anything. How'd you know you could do that?

You must be purty darn smart!!!

[lexington minuteman 1775]

First they went after Denny's but i did not eat there.So it did not bother me.

Now the Cracker Barrel?

Bet they go after McDonalds next for serving crappy food to everybody.BWAHAHA