Patrons act over segregated dining (“Cracker” Barrel gave whites better seating and service!)

The New York Times via SMH ^ | May 5, 2004

[pro libertate]

You are correct about the previous logo.

[Ignatz]

The worst service I can remember our family having was at a Cracker Barrel in Indianapolis.

You should have driven the mere thirty miles north-east to Anderson. Our CB has excellent service, no matter your color nor the number of offspring you have!

Btw, CB has the best breakfast in the world, imho. Someone told me recently they also have non-breakfast food! WoW! Who knew?

[yankeedame]

This is just my opinion but I really think there's a mentality of paying money to people who they perceive as getting paid ALREADY.

I know this is a little (a lot?) off the subject, but I just has to grin when I read these lines. My step-dad(RIP), who was a lovable old bear, had this darn near homicidal "mentality" about buying ice! You know, the big bags you can buy at the gas station and Wal-Mart and stuff? "Why should I pay someone for something I can make at home?!" yada,yada,yada

I remember days and days before they'd give a party, my step-dad would be grimly freezing and storing trays and trays...and trays of "homemade" ice cubes. LOL! One man's determination to break the stranglehold of "Big Ice".

[cyborg]

LOL...it's not that far off. I hear people say the same thing about bottled water.

[Little Bill]

I can feel for you, in the course of a long supervisory career, Union shop, I have found that a quick smoke is superior to homicide or chocolate, no weight gain.

[bird4four4]

aprtments should be repainted with "white or other light colors because the dark colors have given us problems in the past and most of our tenants prefer white and near white."

So are the FEDs suggesting that the color chosen to paint these apartments was a racist hate crime? Must have rooms painted yellow red brown and peach, in the ratio to the skin color of the populace. ;^)

[petitfour]

If we're ever in that area again, we may do that. I love going to CBs in different areas because there is always a local flavor added to each store. And the food is amazingly consistent in all the CBs we've visited.

[ErnBatavia]

You are correct about the previous logo.

Actually, I'm starting to doubt my childhood memory; so I've been busy Googleizing, and so far can't find that old logo.

[nathanbedford]

Thanks

[ErnBatavia]

This is the best I could come up with...

[Lee'sGhost]

I totally agree with you and, believe me, I'm totally in your camp. The thing that caught my attention was the absoluteness of the statement "Managers allowed white servers to refuse to wait on black patrons,. . ." Not may have, are thought to, possibly, or anything else. Just an absolute "this happened." If so, that's just not right. But I've been around long enough to have the same questions -- and thus, the "if" in my statement.

[humblegunner]

I remember Sambo's! Great burgers.

[O.C. - Old Cracker]

No, I honestly don't get the reference.

[Hat-Trick]

Sorry your client lied to you. Probably wasn't the first time. Hope you got paid. Nobody should have to go through that kind of mess pro-bono.

The feds may have the goods on CB. I hope it doesn't turn out to be payback from the federal friends of the Lavendar Mafia for CB's firing of GLBT employees back in the early 90's.

I just have a very healthy and sometimes unnatural mistrust of all things federal, state, and local government.

[SedVictaCatoni]

Never eaten there, have you? They are almost always packed. A wait is inevitable. You walk in and put your name on a list.

I have eaten there, regrettably, and consequently my personal opinion is that those discriminated against are being done a favor by being encouraged to eat somewhere else.

I agree with post #19. This is not a couple of disgruntled customers who weren't seated fast enough, this is the Justice Department having made a lengthy investigation.

[Michael2001]

I am sure this is more due to individual waiters and waitresses than company policy. But the company will pay for it.

When I started working at a restaurant when I was in high school, I noticed that nobody wanted to wait on the black tables. When I asked why this was they told me that it was because blacks were generally more rude and tipped less. What's funny is even the two black guys who worked there didn't want to wait on them. I remember one of them telling me "just because I'm black doesn't mean I want to get a 50 cent tip". This might be considered racist, but where I lived at least, it was the truth. On average, blacks tipped considerably less than whites.

[Michael2001]

Could you expand on this? I don't remember hearing about that.

[yankeedame]

The thing that caught my attention was the absoluteness of the statement "Managers allowed white servers to refuse to wait on black patrons,. . ." Not may have, are thought to, possibly, or anything else. Just an absolute "this happened."...

Excellent observation! So is this report saying that the lack of service is due to the white wait-staff? "I don't care if it is my table, Mr. Manager, I'm not gonna wait on them." If so, how can the management be blamed? What was he (the manager) supposed to do? Force the waiter? We're talking a restaurant here, not the Army.

Which leaves the question of: If the white servers had the choice on whether to serve blacks or not, was the non-white staff given the same choice? If so, how come we've never heard them scream discrimination?

IMHO that's why I'm sure CB devided to just go ahead and settle out of court. These charges are more full of holes than swiss cheese.

[VeniVidiVici]

I have eaten there, regrettably, and consequently my personal opinion is that those discriminated against are being done a favor by being encouraged to eat somewhere else.

Awww, well now, that IS regrettable! Sorry you didn't like it! There is a cheap restaurant I went to in Georgetown once. You might like it (if it's still around). It's called 1789

Mmmm. Very good! I complained there that our reservation was not kept for us and got free drinks for the night. Thankfully, I'm not black. They may have made me wash dishes!

Feds went after Hooters too in the mid 90s. That went nowhere when Hooters decided to fight back.

I'm sure you *haven't* eaten there.

[Lee'sGhost]

Excellent disection, maam.