Why is Cracker Barrel being sued? Employee claims she was fired over filing discrimination complaint

The Southern-themed restaurant chain Cracker Barrel is being sued over its alleged mistreatment of a black employee. Roberta Mendez, a former employee of the chain who worked as a server at one of its outlets in Tennessee, has filed a lawsuit against the chain for violating the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

As per The Independent, the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects against employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

About Roberta Mendez’s accusations of mistreatment against Crack Barrel

According to the lawsuit filed by Roberta Mendez, who is African American, she faced derogatory treatment based on her race while an employee at Cracker Barrel. One of the allegations specified by Mendez relates to her alleged mistreatment at her place of employment. The lawsuit against the restaurant chain states,

“Throughout employment, Mendez was treated less favorably than her Caucasian counterparts who made derogatory comments to Mendez based on her race. For example, on multiple occasions, Shift Leader, Tre Thomas told Mendez 'I don’t like Black people,' most recently in August 2024.”

The lawsuit also made note of the insults Mendez was allegedly subjected to, and added,

“Furthermore, Mendez’s Caucasian coworkers regularly called Mendez racist names, such as 'nappy headed n***er,' 'burnt biscuit,' 'monkey' and 'b***h.' Mendez was also physically pushed and hit, and management has segregated its Black workers from its Caucasian workers.”

According to the lawsuit, Mendez reported her unfair treatment to her superiors, including her managers, assistant managers, and the general manager, following which, she was targeted in 2023. Mendez, in her lawsuit, alleges that after being written up for reporting on her treatment, she proceeded to file a complaint at the chain’s corporate Human Resources in 2024. However, after the move, she was fired from her job at Cracker Barrel. The lawsuit states,

“On or about September 28, 2024, Mendez’s employment was terminated for allegedly 'breaking company policy.' However, similarly situated employees outside of Mendez’s protected class(es), such as Jenna Klages were not terminated for similar or worse conduct. The reason for Mendez’s termination is pretext for discrimination and/or retaliation.”

According to Daily Mail, Mendez’s lawyer, Kyle Biesecker spoke to The Independent and shared what was next for the lawsuit. He said,

“Next, Cracker Barrel will file their answer to the complaint and discovery will proceed from there. We expect depositions to bear out many of the facts as alleged by Ms. Mendez.”

According to the lawsuit, Mendez now demands that she be reinstated to her position at the restaurant chain according to the seniority level she would have achieved had she not been terminated. In the lawsuit, Mendez also requests relief such as her wages, compensation and monetary loss in addition to “compensation for any and all other damages suffered as a consequence of” Cracker Barrels’ alleged unlawful conduct.

NBC News reports that Cracker Barrel paid $8.7 million in settlement to around 40 plaintiffs in 2004 when it was accussed of mistreating black employees as well as customers. At the time, the news channel notes that the chain was accused of using racial slurs, segregating their customers and mistreating their black employees. Before the settlement, the chain also faced a lawsuit from the Justice Department which related to claims of discrimination, as per NBC News.