Wednesday, November 01, 2006

You Are Not Where You Eat

I laughed when I saw Chris Rock’s mother on TV with Al Sharpton a few days ago. I thought it was one of his jokes, but apparently she was really complaining about the racist treatment she received at a Cracker Barrel restaurant in South Carolina. And Brother Al took his usual place beside another so-called victim crying over spilled milk.

I mean, if she went to the Cracker Barrel expecting first class service, then she is clearly delusional.

Cracker Barrel is one of several southern style restaurants whose ‘aw shucks’ theme evokes images of Andy Griffith’s Mayberry. The exterior resembles a typical southern style home and its most inviting feature is the wrap-around porch cluttered with a row of rocking chairs that entice visitors to take a load off and enjoy the scenery (usually the parking lot). There is a general store attached, with such southern knick-knacks as checker boards, peach preserves, and "homemade" lap blankets. They also serve that most southern of refreshments, sweet iced tea, something that people north of Richmond just would not understand. When I ate there for the first time four years ago, I distinctly remember that our waitress sent us on our way with the most southern of dismissals, “Ya’ll come back now, ya hear?”

All of this “southern hospitality” is available for a modest price, just a few dollars more than the cost of a value meal at McDonald’s. It is a very quaint, but very cheap place to eat. I do not recall if the service was particularly good or bad--it was adequate for the type of place one finds in the parking lot of an outlet mall.

As welcoming as the Cracker Barrel appears, Mrs. Rock is not the first person to complain about poor treatment there. A few years ago, Cracker Barrel was on one of those hastily arranged “do-not-patronize” lists that floated around in cyberspace because someone’s mother’s best friend’s cousin got treated shabbily there. It took the spot formerly occupied by Denny’s in the early 90s when black folks still couldn’t buy decent service at that establishment (yet, many continued to patronize it). In a few years, I suspect that the Olive Garden, Outback Steakhouse, Applebee’s and other major chains will also have their turn on the list.

The alleged victims of are always these self-proclaimed affluent, well-educated black people. Despite the fact that the word has been out about racial bias at the Cracker Barrel for years, why do these people--my people--continue to frequent these places? If you are what you claim to be, then (a) you can certainly afford better, and (b) you should definitely know better. Damn, black people, raise your standards!

When did respect become measured by the courtesy extended from a waitress who earns less per hour than the cost of a hamburger and fries? If you really want respect at a restaurant, go somewhere with a white linen tablecloth and a wine list. As long as your Visa bill is current, no one would dare treat you shabbily at a place like that.

Of course, when allegations of bias are levied against one of these chain eateries, the common refrain is that complaints to the manager yielded no improvement in service, so it follows that the only way to regain one’s dignity from such an affront is to file a lawsuit claiming emotional distress and humiliation. The aggrieved parties then hire a lawyer and then make the obligatory media rounds. Frankly, I am unsure which is more humiliating—the treatment suffered at the Cracker Barrel or going on CNN to complain about the treatment suffered at the Cracker Barrel… That other intangible damage "principle" gets mentioned a lot, since no one ever pursues these cases for generous payday (mind you, there is no real money at stake since most meals at the Cracker Barrel cost about $7.95). I’m still trying to understand what great personal principles are at stake since there are plenty of other places along the interstate that serve hamburgers.

Forgive me for sounding snobbish, but common sense would dictate that if I enter an establishment and do not feel welcomed or appreciated, then I would leave. I do not need to waste my valuable time or spend my hard earned money somewhere it is unwanted. And with all of that hard earned money Chris Rock has, he could squash this whole thing by just buying that Cracker Barrel in South Carolina for his mother. Or he could invest some of that money in a chain of fast food diner-style restaurants where black people can go and not feel discriminated against…you know, like McDonald’s.

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