WALDORF, Md. — The general manager and two other employees of a Maryland Cracker Barrel have been fired after the restaurant refused service to a group of 11 special education students and seven teachers.
The group from Charles County Public Schools was refused seating during an outing on Dec. 3 at the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store on Robert S. Crain Highway. The students and CCPS staff apparently had to wait for more than an hour before finally getting their lunch in takeout boxes to eat outside the restaurant.
"Senior Cracker Barrel executives met on Monday with leadership and teachers from the school as well as the parent community to hear their concerns directly. We also shared actions we have taken ... to address recent missteps at that store locations," Cracker Barrel's media relations team said on Wednesday. "These actions include completing an internal investigation ... separating three members of the store's team, including the general manager."
The restaurant also promised to add a "specialized training" program to the Waldorf location's onboarding.
Officials at the restaurant chain had been communicating with Charles County Public Schools administration within days after the incident. CCPS Superintendent Maria Navarro explained that students went to Cracker Barrel to have lunch as part of an initiative called community-based instruction, which aims to help students with special needs adopt occupational and social skills.
"The alleged treatment of CCPS students and staff at Cracker Barrel is one that no one should experience," Superintendent Maria Navarro said last Thursday. "However, it is encouraging that the district manager said the business would be willing to work with CCPS to do better."
Cracker Barrel has admitted that their staff did not follow protocol but denied accusations that staff discriminated against the students because of their disabilities. The restaurant also drew a distinction between what Charles County Public Schools staff members and students experienced and refusing service.
"We did not refuse service to this student group," Cracker Barrel's media relations team said on Wednesday. "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."
However, the initiative's lunch at the restaurant was not an unexpected visit, according to Superintendent Navarro.
"Charles County Public Schools staff notified the establishment of the planned visit, including how many were in the party," Superintendent Navarro told parents and community members on Thursday. "... CCPS staff were reportedly told by restaurant staff that no reservations were necessary."