Cracker Barrel Is Apologizing After It Refused to Serve Students With Disabilities

Although Cracker Barrel has often espoused an inclusive worldview, one Maryland location appears to have struggled to live up to it. A story that is now going viral online states that the Cracker Barrel in Waldorf, Md. refused service to a group of 11 students with disabilities and the seven special education staff members who were there with them.

The company has now apologized for refusing them service, even as it denied that it discriminated against them. Here's what we know about the story as details of it continue to emerge.

The incident reportedly occurred on Dec. 1 and involved the Cracker Barrel located on Robert S. Crain Highway. After the students were reportedly refused service, superintendent Maria Navarro, whose staff had organized the lunch trip following an initiative called community-based instruction, spoke out about what had happened.

"The alleged treatment of CCPS students and staff at Cracker Barrel is one that no one should experience," Superintendent Navarro said on Dec. 4.

"However, it is encouraging that the district manager said the business would be willing to work with CCPS to do better," she added.

Community-based instruction is designed to teach students important social and occupational skills. After the students and staff were refused a table, they had to wait for more than an hour for food that arrived in takeout boxes.

"That we disappointed this group of students and teachers is unacceptable to us, and we sincerely apologize," Cracker Barre's media relations team said in a statement on Dec. 7.

Cracker Barrel admitted that its staff did not follow protocol but denied that the students were refused seating because of their disabilities. Instead, the restaurant said that the location was not staffed enough to accommodate a group that large.

"Our missteps earlier this week were unfortunate but were unrelated to the students' capabilities," Cracker Barrel's media relations team expplained. "They were due to our inability to accommodate a party of 18 that arrived when we were facing unexpected staffing issues."

Superintendent Navarro, however, said that the restaurant had been notified that the visit was happening.

"Charles County Public Schools staff notified the establishment of the planned visit, including how many were in the party," Superintendent Navarro explained to parents and community members. "... CCPS staff were reportedly told by restaurant staff that no reservations were necessary."

Navarro added that, even as Cracker Barrel promises to be better, her students already have plans to help them improve.

"CCPS staff members in the office of special education offered to work with restaurant officials to provide training in disability awareness for its employees," Navarro said. "Restaurant officials have also indicated that they are available to speak with the parents of the students who visited the establishment."

Whatever the reason for the refusal of service, this kind of story is exactly the kind of thing that can harm a restaurant's reputation, especially when those who have some power decide to use it.