Company statement regarding incident at Morrow, GA

Cracker Barrel believes that what happened on September 9th is reprehensible. It could have happened anywhere and we are dismayed that it happened in the entrance of our building.

We want justice to be served quickly and have and will continue to work closely with law enforcement officials. The Clayton County District Attorney has asked Cracker Barrel not to release the video to the media. We are complying with the District Attorney’s request to ensure the integrity of the investigation and the legal process.

We have been in contact with Ms. Hill since the incident. Please know that as soon as the incident became apparent, Cracker Barrel employees immediately came to Ms. Hill’s aid and called the police. The man who police arrested has been banned from ever visiting any Cracker Barrel location again.

Cracker Barrel representatives have twice offered to meet with community leaders in a private setting to share common concerns but those offers were rejected. The offer to meet in a private setting is one we would still consider.

Cracker Barrel was prepared for a private meeting in Atlanta with a small group of community leaders to see how their concerns following last week’s incident in Morrow, GA, interconnect with Cracker Barrel’s concerns since we have common ground. Cracker Barrel was prepared to listen, and to share information regarding the company’s cooperation with law enforcement authorities to see that justice is done.

When it became clear through local media reports that this would not be a private meeting but was being turned into a press event, Cracker Barrel again offered to meet privately with this small group. It’s important to note that a widespread public discussion is inappropriate while multiple investigations by the authorities are underway.

As the case proceeds, Cracker Barrel will continue to cooperate with authorities at all levels of government because we want justice to be served quickly. We immediately gave police significant evidence by providing them with the surveillance video, and we will provide that to any other law enforcement agencies involved in the case. It’s important to note that company policy allows the release of surveillance video only to law enforcement officials and as required by law. The Clayton County District Attorney has asked Cracker Barrel not to release the video to the media. We are complying to ensure the integrity of the investigation and the legal process. Our actions support the integrity of the legal investigation and will help ensure that justice is served properly. Justice is what we all want.

Our CEO has reached out to our employees and said that on a personal level he is both angry and saddened that this incident could happen anywhere in this country, and that he is especially angry that any guest of ours would violate everything that we stand for and work so hard to make happen each and every day.

Cracker Barrel is a restaurant and retail company, pure and simple. This incident has nothing to do with us and we want a speedy resolution that delivers justice.