When a Cracker Barrel in Connecticut found nooses hanging from the ceiling, one diner was furious. Although the restaurant claimed that the “nooses on the ceiling” were there for decorative purposes only, and not to signify lynching, the chain issued a full apology for its mistake. The client blasted it as “completely unacceptable” that the Connecticut Cracker Barrel employees did not realize that the wound ropes looked like nooses while hanging décor from the restaurant’s ceiling.
The diner who first noticed nooses hanging from the ceiling of the Cracker Barrel restaurant was Alfonso Robinson. He posted a photo of the nooses on Twitter with the following caption: “Someone at Cracker Barrel in East Windsor needs to explain why there are nooses on the ceiling.”
That same day, Cracker Barrel responded to Robinson’s claim that the nooses were in fact “an original wrapped cord” that was used to hang an “antique soldering iron” on display at the East Windsor location. The nooses hanging from the ceiling of their Connecticut restaurant have since been removed.
Following the Twitter incident, social justice advocates showed up at the East Windsor eatery. Founder of PowerUp-Manchester Keren Prescott stated that she spoke with restaurant manager Mark Smith and had a “positive” and “constructive” conversation about the nooses hanging from the roof.
During her session with Prescott, Smith revealed that the nooses had been hanging from the restaurant’s ceiling for twenty-two years – but that Robinson was the first person to notice them and publicly object in all that time. Smith invited Prescott to conduct a thorough examination of the establishment to confirm whether anything else offensive was being offered there.
Prescott told the Journal Inquirer. “At one point, the manager said, ‘You might notice things that I don’t,’ which I really appreciated because as a White man, he might not view certain things the same as a Black person would.”
Because the ceiling of this Cracker Barrel contained nooses, users on Twitter have urged the company to inspect all of their locations’ decorations to ensure there are no other inflammatory displays.
Cracker Barrel responded to Fox News with the following statement: “We work hard to create a culture of hospitality that’s welcoming, respectful, and inclusive to everyone who walks through our doors. Some of the historical décor in our stores may be reminiscent of earlier times, but our inclusive culture is firmly grounded in today. As we previously said, the décor item in our East Windsor store – an antique soldering iron with an original wrapped cord – should have been noticed and corrected before ever being displayed, and it has since been removed. We are grateful to our guest who pointed it out to us so we could correct this mistake.”
What are your thoughts on the nooses dangling from the ceiling of the Cracker Barrel restaurant?
