Cracker Barrel is apologizing after a Twitter user called attention to ropes that resembled nooses hanging from the ceiling at one of its restaurants in Connecticut.
"Someone at Cracker Barrel in East Windsor needs to explain why there are nooses on the ceiling," Alfonso Robinson wrote on Twitter.
"We're sorry this happened," the company replied to Robinson, explaining that the decoration in question was actually an "antique electric soldering iron that has an original wrapped cord that should not have been displayed."
Cracker Barrel also thanked the guest who originally notified the company, so that it could correct its "error."
Cracker Barrel, a restaurant chain famous for its antiques, told TODAY Food in a statement that the item should have been "noticed and corrected" before it was ever displayed.
"While we have removed the item from this particular store, we are working with our teams to determine whether this item or others like it exist in any of our other stores, and, if so, (that they are) removed," the statement said. "We want to make sure our décor is welcoming and representative of the communities we serve."
But customer Tamra Hawkins, who shared a video of the display on Facebook, told NBC News that she felt the company's apology was inadequate.
Warning: The following video may contain offensive material.
“Honestly, I don’t accept it," she said on Thursday. "I feel like they made an excuse, instead of acknowledging that it was a noose and it was placed in the store with a lapse in judgement.”
Hawkins, who lives in nearby Hartford, said she went to the East Windsor store after hearing about the noose on social media, but she didn't see it while she was filming. It was only later that she spotted it in her footage. She wrote on Facebook that she will never eat at Cracker Barrel again.
In its statement, Cracker Barrel also reminded customers that some of its décor is from "earlier times."
"We work hard to create a culture of hospitality that’s welcoming, respectful and inclusive to everyone who walks through our doors," the statement read. "Some of the historic décor in our stores may be reminiscent of earlier times, but our inclusive culture is firmly grounded in today."
