A Black server at a Cracker Barrel restaurant near Nashville has sued the company, alleging she was subjected to repeated racial slurs and physical mistreatment and was fired in retaliation after complaining to human resources.
Roberta Mendez, who was hired at the restaurant in 2015, filed the lawsuit in August 2025 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. The complaint says white co-workers regularly directed epithets at Mendez, including being called a "burnt biscuit," "nappy headed n—–," "monkey" and other derogatory names, and that she was physically pushed and hit at work. The suit alleges that management segregated Black employees from white employees and that some of the abusive remarks came from supervisors.
The complaint names a shift leader, Tre Thomas, as repeatedly telling Mendez, "I don't like black people," and identifies the store's general manager as Jack Kinle. Mendez said she reported incidents to managers, assistant managers and Kinle, and that in 2023 she was written up after lodging complaints. According to the suit, when she raised concerns with the company's human resources team about the write-up, HR told her not to sign the document.
Mendez alleges she submitted an official complaint to Cracker Barrel's corporate human resources office around August 2024 about her own treatment and the treatment of other Black employees at that location. The suit says she was terminated the following month for allegedly "breaking company policy," and contends that no white employees were fired for similar or worse conduct. The complaint says Mendez consistently met or exceeded performance expectations.
The lawsuit seeks reinstatement or front pay, lost wages and benefits, attorney's fees and damages for violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race.
Cracker Barrel did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The complaint was filed in federal court last month, and the suit names the company as the defendant and details the timeline of internal reports and disciplinary actions.
The allegations add to a stream of workplace-discrimination suits filed by restaurant workers in recent years, many of which invoke Title VII protections and seek damages and back pay. Court filings in the Mendez case lay out claims of a hostile work environment, unequal treatment compared with white employees and retaliatory discipline after reporting discriminatory conduct to supervisors and human resources.
Mendez's attorneys argue the sequence of events — complaints to local managers, a disciplinary write-up after objections, an escalation to corporate HR and then termination — demonstrates retaliation. The suit asks the court to order remedies available under federal law and to award compensatory damages for lost wages and emotional harm.
The case will proceed through pretrial motions and discovery in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. Court schedules and filings will determine whether the matter moves to trial or is resolved through settlement or other disposition.