Dozens of demonstrators made their voices heard outside a Cracker Barrel in Waldorf, Maryland. They’re calling on the community boycott at the restaurant for what they call unfair and disrespectful treatment to Charles County School System students with disabilities.
This all started when a group of students planned to take part in a life skills program, which involved the trip to the restaurant.
According to an email that was sent out by the Charles County Public School Superintendent, staff notified the restaurant that they were coming and were told they didn't need a reservation. When the group arrived, a restaurant employee declined services and requested the restaurant be removed from the list of businesses willing to participate in the effort known as Community-Based Instruction.
The group was able to place a carryout order.
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“We are her voice. We are advocates,” said Dustin Reed, whose daughter was part of the group and is nonverbal. “And if nothing is changed, or nothing is heard, if they’re not heard, then no change will happen.”
After the initial backlash, Cracker Barrel said it fired a general manager and two employees.
In a statement to News4, the company also said, “We strive to create a welcoming environment and great experience for guests of all abilities, and we have a zero tolerance policy against any form of discrimination. We did not refuse service to this student group, but operational breakdowns caused by staffing shortages and poor communication on our part led us to fall well short of our service standards that day. This is unacceptable.”
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Reed said the experience was hard for his daughter and that he and others are not satisfied with Cracker Barrel's response.
“They have never apologized for discriminating against our children,” he said. “In the meeting that they had last Monday with us parents, they denied discrimination, told us that we're all going to have to agree to disagree and they’re sorry that we feel this way.”
Reed said a few people decided to turn back from the restaurant after hearing what the protesters had to say. He said the most important thing is continuing to advocate for those with disabilities.
“You never know what disability someone may have,” Reed said. “They may look like they don't have any disabilities or anything of that nature, but you have no idea. So just be kind. Always be kind-hearted to everybody.”
Some of those parents involved in the protests told News4 that they're weighing whether or not to take legal action against the restaurant chain. Cracker Barrel said it's working to fix some of those missteps, including moving forward with specialized training for some of the employees at the Waldorf Cracker Barrel.
