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      *Officials for the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store in South Carolina are blaming a shift change for the long wait experienced last May by Rose Rock, the mother of actor/comedian Chris Rock. 

      The company sent representatives to a news conference held Wednesday outside of the Murrells Inlet restaurant, where Rock and her 21-year-old daughter, Andi Rock, say they were the victims of racial discrimination after waiting over 30 minutes for attention as other people were being served.

      Rock, a resident of Georgetown, S.C. and host of a local radio show, was supported at the press conference by Rev. Al Sharpton, who offered to help with a planned lawsuit against the Lebanon, Tenn.-based restaurant chain.     

       “We’re outraged that racism is permitted,” Sharpton said, according to South Carolina’s The State.com. “Mrs. Rock did what was right. In frustration, she reached out to us.”     

      Wynne, vice president of corporate affairs for Cracker Barrel, said the incident is under investigation.     

      “We made an honest mistake,” she said. “It was not a discrimination issue. It was a service issue.”     

      Wynne said Rock, a regular customer at the Murrells Inlet restaurant, arrived there around 4:30 p.m. on May 16 during the shift change. By mistake, Rock’s table was not assigned a server, she said. The restaurant manager offered Rock a free meal, and Rock also received a gift package from Cracker Barrel, Wynne said.     

      Rock, meanwhile, said she and her daughter sat for 30 minutes before noticing other people receiving iced tea and menus. A hostess ignored her, and the manager did not tell any servers to apologize, Rock said.      

      “It’s hard to miss two black people in a sea of white folks,” Rock said. “We stick out.”     

      Wynne said the restaurant’s mistake has led to an internal review of its service issues throughout the restaurant chain. Officials with Cracker Barrel have offered to meet with Rock, she said.     

      As previously reported, Cracker Barrel has had a history of lawsuits and complaints over refusing to serve black customers, discriminating against minority workers and firing gay employees.

AFRICAN VOICES CINEMA SERIES debuts
at AFI FEST 2006 presented by Audi. The
American Film Institute (AFI) debuts African
Voices Cinema Series at this year's AFI
FEST, November 1-12, 2006. African
Voices provides an international platform
for African directors, writers, and producers,
who communicate the culture, politics,
and the vision of a people through film.
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