Cracker Barrel’s Troubling History with Black Customers

Описание: The Cracker barrel segregation scandal was a hot mess. In 2004, Cracker Barrel was embroiled in several scandals, including a lawsuit brought by the NAACP and an investigation by the Justice Department. The actions were instigated by claims that black customers in several states were subjected to not only the restaurant's segregation policies, but other shockingly terrible types of treatment.


The list of accusations was long, and included: segregated seating, seating and serving black customers after white customers, subjecting customers to racial slurs, and serving black customers food that had been fished out of the garbage. Servers were also allegedly allowed to refuse service to customers, based solely on their skin color. The Justice Department investigation came first, and Cracker Barrel wasn't fined for their findings. Instead, they agreed to put anti-discrimination measures and training programs in place, along with hiring outside auditors and undercover diners to monitor their progress. Attorneys were quick to point out that Cracker Barrel was insisting they hadn't actually done anything wrong, and that "They're still fighting tooth and nail against all the private plaintiffs." Four months later news outlets were announcing they were settling a series of racial discrimination lawsuits for $8.7 million