Rock's Mom Cries Racial Discrimination

[Brian Damage]

Chris Rock's mother wants to bring the pain to the Cracker Barrel restaurants.

Rose Rock, with the help and funding of Rev. Al Sharpton, intends to sue the Tennessee-based company for allegedly racially discriminating against her and her daughter when she was ignored for a half hour while waiting for service at a South Carolina restaurant, report news sources.

In May 2006 at the Murrells Inlet location, Rock claims that as the only black customers in the restaurant, she and her 21-year-old daughter were made to wait for service while the waitstaff helped all the other customers. When Rock took her complaints to the manager, he allegedly didn't address the offending waitstaff and only offered her a free meal instead.

Rock contacted the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission, but hasn't heard back from them.

"We don't tolerate any form of discrimination, it has always been a part of our policy, it's neither condoned nor tolerated. We take this very seriously," says Cracker Barrel spokesperson Julie Davis. The company is investigating the allegations.

Despite its folksy, friendly reputation, the Cracker Barrel has been sued in the past for racial discrimination of patrons and sex bias and racial harassment of employees. Both cases were settled, with Cracker Barrel agreeing to adopt 42 pages of regulations (although not admitting to any wrongdoing) in the former case and reaching a $2 million consent decree to resolve the latter.