Cracker Barrel fires back as NAACP joins racial discrimination lawsuit

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - The man in charge of training Cracker Barrel managers is black and said Thursday it is ridiculous to believe he would allow racists to run the company&#39;s restaurants and discriminate against its patrons. <br> <br> The Tennessee company fired back with a news conference in Nashville as the NAACP in Washington announced it was joining a racial discrimination suit against Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores Incorporated. <br> <br> Cracker Barrel&#39;s vice president for management training and development for 15 years, Thomas Pate, said ``I definitely respect the NAACP, no doubt about that, but I think in this case they&#39;ve been misinformed. It&#39;s just unbelievable that I would put up with that type of behavior. I wouldn&#39;t, period.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Norm Hill, senior vice president of human resources, who is also black and called himself a card-carrying member of the NAACP, said the lawsuit presents a false picture of Cracker Barrel performance and the performance of its 50,000 employees both black and white. <br> <br> Hill said, ``I am insulted anyone would think I would stand for the things this lawsuit represents and stay with the company.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The suit originally was filed last December, and an amended complaint was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Rome, Georgia. <br> <br> The NAACP and 41 other plaintiffs in the class-action suit are seeking $100 million in damages from the Lebanon, Tennessee-based restaurant chain, which owns and operates 450 restaurants in 41 states.