Ms. Cracker Barrel lays off 3 employees after students with disabilities were denied service

On December 16, 2024By Littum

Three Cracker Barrel employees in Maryland were fired after a group of students with disabilities and their teachers were turned away during a visit.

Three employees — including the general manager — of a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Waldorf, Maryland, were fired after a group of students with disabilities and their teachers were turned away during a Dec. 3 visit.

The restaurant chain’s media relations department confirmed in a statement that it conducted an internal investigation after the chain received a complaint that students with intellectual and developmental disabilities were denied service.

The restaurant promised that it would “move forward with specialized training for all employees of this particular store” and that it has “a zero-tolerance policy against any form of discrimination.”

However, it also disputed the allegation that the group of 11 students and seven teachers were denied service.

“We did not deny service to this student body, but operational disruptions caused by staff shortages and poor communication on our part caused us to fall far short of our service standards,” the statement read.

Cracker Barrel representatives met with Charles County Public School officials and parents on Monday, Dec. 9, and the chain’s media relations department said that after that meeting, “we would be honored to host this student program if they would give us one more chance.”

The company added that it hopes to have an ongoing discussion with school officials about “how we can best serve the community going forward.”

WTOP contacted the school system but has not yet received a response.

Before Monday’s meeting, Charles County School Superintendent Maria Navarro said in a Dec. 5 letter to parents that while she was initially “disheartened” to hear how the group was treated during the field trip, she said it was “encouraging to learn, that the district manager said the company would be willing to work with CCPS to make it better.”

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