Posted on 10/25/2002 10:26:59 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the Cracker Barrel restaurant chain over civil rights issues, restaurant holding company CBRL Group Inc. said on Friday.
A letter seeking basic information about restaurant locations and customer complaints was sent to the restaurant company in August, CBRL disclosed in its annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday. CBRL runs the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store restaurant and retail chain,
"The DOJ is empowered to investigate matters under Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Cracker Barrel is in the process of gathering information to provide to the DOJ," the company said, adding that it plans to defend itself vigorously.
A federal judge earlier this month denied certification of a class-action lawsuit filed against the company that charged racial discrimination. Twenty-one African-American customers filed a suit on Dec. 21 charging that blacks were denied service, seated in segregated areas and given food plucked from the trash.
Cracker Barrel officials did not immediately return calls for comment. Its shares were down 4.1 percent, or 99 cents, to $22.91 on the Nasdaq in Friday midday trading.
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In the settlement fashioned by Johnny Cochrane, each of the plaintiffs will get $1 million and the company will be forced to change the name of their restaurants to...
Melting Pots.
(I loved the fried catfish sandwiches at Cracker Barrel when I was on the road.)
I'm sorry, but I simply can't believe that this last specification is true.
Actually, based on my own experience and observations in numerous Cracker Barrel restaurants throughout the mid-west, this entire suit IS trash IMO.
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