Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

The chicken dippers were soooo good! I recommend the comeback sauce and buttermilk ranch. My sister loved the salad and the kids ate all their food (they're picky). Our waitress Natalia was super nice, the shop was fun, and I thought the oil lamps instead of candles were a neat touch for the tables. (I should have checked if they had any in the store for sale. 🙃

Had 2 free beverages on my Cracker Barrel app. Even though the app let me deduct my Rewards, the system would not let me order due to asking for a credit card even though the amount I owed was 0.00 zero. I went to checkout, but was told I had to go to the host. Waited at the host podium for host to come then was told I had to wait for server. Placed my 2 free iced vanilla latte order. The free beverages would not take off both. Was overridden, but was told next time to place 2 separate orders so both coupons could be used. This location had a 70% off rack. Bought 5 insulated tumblers for $5.10 each. Regularly $16.99 each. Going to use them for fire company Gun Raffle door prizes.

Cracker Barrel, What Happened? I love Cracker Barrel. No, seriously—I love Cracker Barrel. I’ve been to locations all across the country, from Tennessee to Pennsylvania to the Carolinas, and it’s almost always a solid experience. Warm biscuits, that cozy general store, rocking chairs on the porch, and food that makes you feel like you’re back at your grandmother’s Sunday table. But, man. This one? This one hurt. It’s only the second time I’ve ever had a bad experience at a Cracker Barrel, and wouldn’t you know it? Both of them happened at locations near each other. District manager, I’m looking at you. The second I walked up to the host stand, I knew something was off. Call it intuition. Call it years of experience in reading a room. But when you see two young hosts full-on arguing with a mature woman—who wasn’t even in uniform but wore a white shirt with blue horizontal stripes—you can tell it’s not gonna be smooth sailing. No aprons, no sense of control, just tension you could slice with a dull butter knife. And sure enough, despite a whole slew of open tables, we were told, “It’s probably gonna be a 10-minute wait.” Why? Because no one was cleaning tables. Not a soul. The best part? A couple that walked in after us almost got seated before we did. Efficiency at its finest. Alright, fine. We finally get to our table. And we are hungry. No need to even open the menu. As soon as I passed the host stand, I saw the sign: Try our Southern-Style Ribs. Boom. Done. My wife locked in on her chicken just as fast. We were locked, loaded, and ready to go. The waitress came over. Sweet girl. Professional. No complaints about her or any of the other servers. We gave our drink order and our food order at the same time. In and out, easy peasy. Except it wasn’t. We waited. And waited. And waited. We watched every single table around us get their food. Tables that came in after us? Served. People who ordered after us? Served. People who hadn’t even sat down when we placed our order? Served. And I want to be crystal clear: this wasn’t the waitress’s fault. She was doing everything right. She brought me three drinks and two baskets of bread in the time we were sitting there, without us even asking. The problem? The manager. And I don’t mean some faceless figure in the back. No, she was right there. This woman actually came to our table—to light the candle. That’s it. She didn’t check on us. Didn’t ask if we were okay. Didn’t notice the two hungry, miserable customers who had been waiting over an hour while other tables feasted around them. She just went about her routine, lighting candles like she was performing some kind of sacred ritual, completely oblivious to the disaster unfolding right in front of her. And that, right there, is unforgivable. I live in New Jersey. People always ask why it gets such a bad reputation. Now I understand. If this is the first Cracker Barrel someone walks into after coming over the bridge, it explains everything. I’m not one to leave bad reviews lightly. Check my history. I always try to find the silver lining in every dining experience. 90% of my reviews are positive. But this? A manager who publicly argues with employees in front of customers and then walks around pretending everything is fine while guests are actively suffering? No. Just no. Do better, Cracker Barrel. I know you can.

Came with a party of 11, sat down quickly which was nice it was a slow time for them. The food came out in a timely manner but paying $20 a plate and not having an appropriate amount of food was disappointing. The server had to be asked to refill drinks multiple times. This was very disappointing since we love eating here.Pictured is a $20 plate .

The fireplace in action is always nice to see. The server was awesome and the diners were happy and not overly loud. Two little bitties found out their voices echoed ! (Always cute) The food was great. I went with something I’d never gotten before(beef stew) and I loved every bite!