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Two words. "If true".

I was sitting in a Cracker Barrel restaurant about three years ago with Mrs. Bond, and I remarked that they were living on borrowed time. With the word "Cracker" in the name and all that "explosion in an antique store" cute stuff on the walls, it was only a matter of time before they were the subject of a racial extortion.

I have never been to a Cracker Barrel and not had to wait. Of course, I am usually there on a week-end when everyone else in the world is on the road as well. At the restaurants, you leave your name with the waitress, and wander around the store, and come up when your name is called. Now am I absolutely sure that my name was called in the order I gave it? If a regular came in, is it possible that they were bumped up ahead of me because they are, in fact, a regular? Do I give a hoot?

But if I was in the business of stoking racial resentment, I would care a great deal, wouldn't I?

....blacks were given less favourable treatment than whites when they complained about service, investigators found."

-"Less favourable treatment" defined by whom?
-Defined as what?
-Did they have their plates of food thrown on the table or something?
-Instead of running to the feds, why didn't the outraged party/parties speak to the management there and then?
-Why did they keep going back?
-Why is this investigation focused solely on the South? When we conservatives complain of something we are breezily told, "Well,then, just don't watch it/ buy that/ go there/ listen to it."
-To take advantage of the assumed racism therein?
-Why? Are there specific insistences (names,dates,etc.) of overt -- as opposed to preceived -- discrimination b/c of skin color?
-Regardless of the person's obvious socio-ecomc status e.g. the greying-at-the temples upper middle class black was treated the same as the 'yoots'?
Or are these accusations all lumped under the heading "It was found that...?"

More than ever,gang, IMHO doughnuts to dollars says this is a case of "Follow the money." CB lawyers/upper management doubtless figured it was just cheaper to fork over the protection money then fight it out in court.

We traveled through NJ recently. A waitress was chasing a couple out of the Cracker Barrel because they stiffed the place for a carload of people eating there. The group took off. She was muttering to herself about them always doing that.........we kept walking. I hope they didn't make her pay for it.

I worked at a Cracker Barrel for years when I was in college, and I never saw anything like this.

I will say this, most of the blacks we had came in large church groups. Parties of 10 or more. So obviously a party of two will get seated before a party of 10, or even 5, in a crowded restaurant.

My personal experience with those church groups was that tipping was NOT something they felt they had to do. It was very common to make $1.00 (or nothing) off a party of 12 who occupied your entire section for an hour. If servers (of any color) refused to wait on blacks, I'd bet it was because of perceived tip concerns based on experience. That is certainly not a justification for refusing service, but rational thinking was not a strength of the common Cracker Barrel employee in my day.

Still smells fishy to me.

I work at the Cracker Barrel in OKC and I have worked at The Barrel for 1 1/2 years. I have been a hostess, cashier, and worked the retail store. I have always done by best to give everyone the best service I can. The Barrel has managers, staff, and guests of every age, race, gender, and sexual orientation. If any of this did happen, it is a terrible shame, but I have never been witness to or heard of anything like this till now. I think it is ridiculous to accuse an entire company of such a thing, for the alleged actions of a few people. I know those of us who work there have better things to do than plot against ethnic groups. Thank you for your time.