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Patrons act over segregated dining (“Cracker” Barrel gave whites better seating and service!)
The New York Times via SMH ^ | May 5, 2004

Posted on 05/04/2004 10:20:25 AM PDT by dead

Washington: The country-wide Cracker Barrel restaurant chain has agreed to overhaul its training and management practices after the US Justice Department accused it of discriminating against black diners at about 50 restaurants.

A civil rights investigation found that black diners at Cracker Barrel restaurants in seven southern states were routinely given tables apart from whites, seated after white customers who arrived later, and given inferior service, the department said.

Managers allowed white servers to refuse to wait on black patrons, and blacks were given less favourable treatment than whites when they complained about service, investigators found. Interviews with dozens of employees suggested that managers "often directed, participated in, or condoned the discriminatory behaviour", the department said.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, a Tennessee-based chain that has 497 locations throughout the US and is known for its country-style cooking and folksy retail stores, denied the allegations contained in the lawsuit.

But the company agreed to several wide-ranging steps aimed at combating discrimination against blacks.

The agreement "moves Cracker Barrel forward in a direction we were already moving", a company spokeswoman said. She said that while Cracker Barrel did not believe the accusations were true, it had agreed to the six-point plan to avoid protracted litigation.

About 100 blacks are pressing discrimination claims and seeking damages from the chain in four lawsuits. One black diner said that when he complained that whites were getting better treatment, he was told he should go to a Burger King down the street.

"It's shocking that something like this still happens 40 years after the passage of civil rights legislation," said Heidi Doerhoff, a lawyer representing customers in Arkansas. "It harkens back to the back-of-the-bus treatment of African Americans."


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: crackerbarrel
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To: ErnBatavia
You are correct about the previous logo.
61 posted on 05/04/2004 12:23:23 PM PDT by pro libertate
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To: petitfour
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?

62 posted on 05/04/2004 12:23:46 PM PDT by Ignatz (No brag, just fact.)
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To: cyborg
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".

63 posted on 05/04/2004 12:24:48 PM PDT by yankeedame ("Oh, I can take it but I'd much rather dish it out.")
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To: yankeedame
LOL...it's not that far off. I hear people say the same thing about bottled water.
64 posted on 05/04/2004 12:25:59 PM PDT by cyborg
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To: cyborg
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.
65 posted on 05/04/2004 12:26:16 PM PDT by Little Bill (John F'n Kerry is Swine, I want to see the Ms's tax returns!)
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To: Labyrinthos
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. ;^)

66 posted on 05/04/2004 12:27:22 PM PDT by bird4four4
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To: Ignatz
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.
67 posted on 05/04/2004 12:29:49 PM PDT by petitfour
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To: pro libertate
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.

68 posted on 05/04/2004 12:30:44 PM PDT by ErnBatavia (Because Democrats are liars, they assume Republicans are too...)
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To: SedVictaCatoni
Thanks
69 posted on 05/04/2004 12:35:59 PM PDT by nathanbedford
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To: pro libertate
This is the best I could come up with...


70 posted on 05/04/2004 12:39:39 PM PDT by ErnBatavia (Because Democrats are liars, they assume Republicans are too...)
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To: yankeedame
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.
71 posted on 05/04/2004 1:03:36 PM PDT by Lee'sGhost (Crom!)
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To: expatguy
I remember Sambo's! Great burgers.


72 posted on 05/04/2004 1:07:51 PM PDT by humblegunner
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To: Semper Paratus
No, I honestly don't get the reference.
73 posted on 05/04/2004 1:17:09 PM PDT by O.C. - Old Cracker (When the cracker gets old, you wind up with Old Cracker. - O.C.)
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To: Labyrinthos
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.

74 posted on 05/04/2004 2:09:00 PM PDT by Hat-Trick (Do you trust a government that does not trust you with guns?)
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To: VeniVidiVici; Labyrinthos
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.

75 posted on 05/04/2004 3:09:34 PM PDT by SedVictaCatoni
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To: dead
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.
76 posted on 05/04/2004 4:59:18 PM PDT by Michael2001 (Every man lives, and every man dies, but not every man truly lives)
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To: Redbob
Could you expand on this? I don't remember hearing about that.
77 posted on 05/04/2004 5:01:18 PM PDT by Michael2001 (Every man lives, and every man dies, but not every man truly lives)
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To: Lee'sGhost
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.

78 posted on 05/04/2004 5:23:33 PM PDT by yankeedame ("Oh, I can take it but I'd much rather dish it out.")
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To: SedVictaCatoni
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.

79 posted on 05/04/2004 7:00:26 PM PDT by VeniVidiVici (In God We Trust. All Others We Monitor.)
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To: yankeedame
Excellent disection, maam.
80 posted on 05/04/2004 7:03:19 PM PDT by Lee'sGhost (Crom!)
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