(VA veteran and businessman Randy Freeman. Twitter Image)
Air Force veteran and business owner of Distinguished Executive Transportation, LLC in Virginia, Randy Freeman, has filed suit against Cracker Barrel after the manager kicked him out of the establishment.
It’s unclear when Freeman visited the restaurant, however, when he arrived, he sat down with three passengers and ordered his meal from the diner’s server. Instead of receiving his food, he encountered the store manager who wrongly accused him of cursing at the waitress, Rolling Out reported. However, three witnesses confirm that Freeman spoke in a “normal” tone.
“As a motor coach owner and operator, prior to the incident, I had visited Cracker Barrel’s chain on a number of occasions but not at the store where the incident occurred … I did not experience this kind of unfair treatment in the past,” Freeman told Rolling Out in an exclusive interview. “I was taken completely by surprise when the manager came out and made these false accusations.”
The incident took place at Cracker Barrel Store #193 in Cross Lanes, West Virginia. He recalled not having an issue with the waitress before the manager approached him, so it confused him as to why he was asked to leave the diner by the store and assistant manager. The 57-year-old suggested that he was a victim of unjust treatment and racial discrimination.
“I was embarrassed and worried about the consequences of resisting my ejectment because I owed my ultimate responsibility to my motor coach passengers who would’ve been stranded had I been arrested for refusing to leave… So, I left without raising my voice or otherwise resisting the managers’ commands,” Freeman stated.
The veteran’s attorney Sekou Campbell explained that “Cracker Barrel has failed to even acknowledge that anything improper was done at their store.” Both parties are now awaiting the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of West Virginia’s decision.
https://twitter.com/Sekou_Law/status/988384548579921922
Campbell noted in a press release, “Cracker Barrel has a history of discrimination in its stores” and the “DOJ found that they [Cracker Barrel] had segregated African-American customers, provided poorer service to African-American customers and mistreated African-American employees.”
Freeman’s attorney said his client fought for this country and deserves to be treated with respect.
“Mr. Freeman fought for this country against forces trying to take away Cracker Barrel’s right to have a business and its employees to enjoy America’s freedoms. He has certainly earned the right to enjoy those same freedoms… Simply dignifying that existence with a serious response and acknowledgment of wrongdoing is not an overly cumbersome task given Mr. Freeman’s sacrifices,” Campbell expressed.