Cracker Barrel, the chain of homey Southern-themed restaurants, finds itself in an ugly crisis, one it hasn’t heard the last of. The company tried to address the situation, but it hasn’t exactly been a cracker of a response. We fear some people will feel the company isn’t being fully factual.

On Tue., Dec. 3, a group of 11 students with disabilities and seven staff members from Charles County Public Schools in Maryland visited a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Waldorf, Maryland. The field trip was part of the schools’ community-based instruction, which seeks to teach functional skills in real-world settings. Christmas shopping at a Dollar Store was also on that day’s itinerary.

The staff gave the restaurant a heads-up about the outing and were informed that a reservation wasn’t needed. Yet, when the group arrived, the Cracker Barrel location not only refused to serve them, it asked to be taken off the list for such field trips.

The ostensible reason for the nonservice was the large number of people, but the staff offered to divide the students into separate groups. They were eventually allowed to order takeout. One parent posted on Facebook an email a teacher sent about the incident. The missive said both the restaurants’ servers and managers were consistently rude.

‘Staffing Issue’

Cracker Barrel, based in Lebanon, Tennessee, has apologized. It said the problem was due to “a staffing issue” and an operational problem, which we’re not sure everyone will buy. That’s why we say the company’s response has been somewhat problematic. On the other hand, just yesterday it said it fired the restaurant’s general manager and two employees.

We can’t find Cracker Barrel’s original statement, but pieces of it have been quoted in news stories. Here are excerpts from WDCW Fox 8: “A staffing challenge that day led to the closure of part of our second dining room, creating confusion that impacted the group’s experience.” And: “We take this matter seriously and are working directly with the group’s leadership to better understand what happened, extend our apologies and make things right.”

The New York Post had: “That we disappointed this group of students and teachers during their recent visit is unacceptable to us, and we sincerely apologize.” And: “Our failure to follow certain operational protocols combined with poor communication on our part then led to misunderstandings and misperceptions.”

Disability Awareness

In a Dec. 5 letter to the community, Superintendent of Schools Maria V. Navarro said her staff spoke to Cracker Barrel’s district manager and expressed their concerns and offered to work with the restaurant to provide disability-awareness training. The restaurant said it was willing to speak with the parents of the students who went to the location that day, which was a smart move.

Superintendent Navarro said she hopes Cracker Barrel will decide to serve “as a work-based learning site” for the students. If the company is wise, it will bend over backward to do that. It’s important to show action in response to a crisis. Navarro said other restaurants and retailers reached out and offered their locations for future instructional outings, which Cracker Barrel should take as the slap in the face it is.

The company has something else to worry about: A protest is planned for Dec. 15 at the Waldorf location.

Photo Credit: Cracker Barrel

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