WALDORF, Md. – The manager and two other employees of a Maryland Cracker Barrel were fired after the restaurant refused service to a group of 11 special education students and seven teachers.

Teachers in the group at Charles County Public Schools said they were refused service during a Dec. 3 outing at the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store on Robert S. Crain Highway.

“We unfortunately had a very bad experience at Cracker Barrel today, not only with the servers, but also with the manager and general manager,” said an email from teachers to parents following the Dec. 3 incident. “…The waiters were obviously rude to our staff and ignored all of our students. They refused to serve them and didn’t even ask if our students wanted a drink or anything else.”

Restaurant chain officials had been communicating with Charles County Public Schools administration just days after the incident. CCPS Superintendent Maria Navarro explained that the students went to Cracker Barrel for lunch as part of an initiative called “community-based instruction,” which aims to help students with special needs learn career and social skills to have lunch.

“Senior Cracker Barrel leaders met with school leaders and teachers and the parent community on Monday to hear their concerns directly. “We also shared actions we have taken … to address recent missteps at these stores,” Cracker Barrel’s media relations team said Wednesday. “These actions include the completion of an internal investigation… the separation of three members of the store team, including the general manager.”

The restaurant also promised to expand onboarding at the Waldorf location to include a “specialized training program.”

Dustin Reed, whose 7-year-old daughter Madelynn was part of the community-based initiative, said he couldn’t believe the emails educators sent him on Dec. 3.

“I had to re-read it a few times,” Reed said Friday. “I cried and then that turned into anger.”

“No one should experience the alleged treatment of CCPS students and staff at Cracker Barrel,” Superintendent Maria Navarro said last Thursday. “However, it is encouraging that the district manager said the company is willing to work with CCPS to achieve better outcomes.”

Cracker Barrel has admitted that its employees did not follow protocol, but has denied allegations that employees discriminated against students based on their disabilities. The restaurant also drew a distinction between what Charles County Public Schools staff and students experienced and the denial of service.

“We did not deny service to this group of students,” Cracker Barrel’s media team said Wednesday. “But operational disruptions due to staff shortages and poor communication from us meant we fell well short of our service standards on the day.”

However, according to Superintendent Navarro, the initiative’s luncheon at the restaurant was not an unexpected visit.

“Charles County Public Schools staff notified the facility of the planned visit and also indicated how many people were in the group,” Superintendent Navarro told parents and community members Thursday. “… CCPS staff were reportedly told by restaurant staff that reservations were not required.”

Dustin Reed of Brandywine said store representatives repeated their denial to parents and CCPS teachers during a meeting Monday and told Charles County community members that they do not discriminate against students because of their disabilities.

“It felt like they were just gaslighting us,” Reed said. “There was no ownership of the store.”

Some other community members seem to think similarly. Shortly after his daughter’s experience at Cracker Barrel, Reed created a social media event page to plan a protest at the Waldorf location on Sunday, December 15th.

In “#CanWeEatNow (Protest of Cracker Barrel)” on Friday evening, 236 people said they were either “going” or “interested” in attending.

“Rain, snow or whatever, I’ll be there,” Reed said Friday.