i work at Cracker Barrel as my 1st job and it really sucks . The people I work with are so rude to. I also never get hours, I went over 2 months without working a day. OK please tell me if you think that is right or normal . and all the manages are terrible!!!!!!!!!! the way one employee treats me is unbelievable its horrible everytime i work i dread seeing her and i also dread going there to work days in advance. Please if anyone is thinking of working there PLEASE DONT it will be a huge mistake i dont know what i was thinking

Cracker Barrel as a store and restaurant is all fine and dandy, but working there really sucks. I regret the day I ever applied. They promised me a decent amount of hours that would override the downside of me having to drive 45 minutes to work. And I guess 45 minutes doesn't seem so bad but when you're 19 trying to save to go back to school, and gas costs as much as it does right now and you can barely afford the dollar menu from a fast food restaurant... it's a lot.

I'm outraged right now because I just received my schedule, for a new week that starts TOMORROW (way to give it out in advance so people can plan their lives around it) and I'm scheduled entirely against my availability. And they refuse to fix it.

They never listen to employees about what we feel could actually help the store/restaurant sales. I drive as far as I do for THREE hours a week. They DON'T do direct deposit. And you can only get your check during an allotted 2 hour time slot on ONE day. If you can't get there during that time then you have to wait until the next day you work. When my car broke down, they were pissed at me for not being able to make it that day as if I planned it. When my friend had conjunctivitis and a doctor's note to miss two days of work, they flipped out and told her it was up to her to call and find replacements even though she was sick and could barely stay awake due to her medication. And they gave out our personal phone numbers to other employees, which by the way IS ILLEGAL. I don't want other people bothering me to work for them when I never gave them permission to have my number in the first place. I will willingly take hours from my boss personally calling me, who has permission.

Anyways, I urge anyone whos thinking of applying to Cracker Barrel to either NOT DO IT, or if you're in desperate need, just be aware of what you'll be dealing with. As far as I'm concerned Carcker Barrel can go F themselves.

I used to work at the Cracker Barrel in Gastonia North Carolina. They are the WORST company to ever work for. half of the managers sucked esspecailly, the retail manager amy fite. She came into one of the top selling stores in our distract and changed everything. she started giving the under par people 35 to 40 hours a week. these poeple continued to call out and they would get the same hours. me on the other hand called out 1 day because i was in a wreck and she cut my hours from 35 to around 15. Then this backstabbing company fired me for speaking my mind about her without even curseing. the advice i have for anyone that reads this is DO NOT EVER APPLY OR WORK FOR CRACKER BARREL. this company will stab you as soon as they get there 1st chance.

One of my faves. I am lucky to live in a city where there are 2 of them.
The "store" is a good place to get some items that you can't find anywhere else. You can also pick up a nice gift for someone, now, and then.

I love traveling and seeing a Cracker Barrel! The food is very much your typical country comfort food. The chicken fried steak is yummy as well as the roast beef. And if you have to wait for a table you can browse the gift shop to kill some time.

Breakfast here is very good. The food is good, the service is friendly, but sluggish. Cracker Barrel is best for breakfast, not lunch or dinner. The store inside is a nice extra, though.

I do not get all the good reviews and praises of this place. I took my son there with me for our first time and the meal was horrible. I had the Chicken and Dumplings and it was bland, and the chicken tasted fake. The Mashed Potatoes were a big dry lump, and the fried apples-yuck. Oh and the corn bread had no taste. This place did not have country cookin, they had cheap crap. My son didn't eat any of his food. The store was cute.. had a lot of stuff that brought back memories.. I think they need to stick with the store and get rid of the food, I grew up on country cookin and that most certainly wasn't it. After about an hour or so later I had major digestive issues.. I would never recommend that place to anyone, and will not be going back.

we ate here for the first time. a lot of choices for food. offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. get a good amount of food for the money. nice tasting meal. offers the down home type of cooking. we were all happy with our meals. would be willing to go again. It was very busy when we went and a line waiting to come in. a little more noisier and crowded than i like.

I was working for Cracker Barrel and it has gotten horrid over the past year or so. The management has cut the servers down to two tables (one third of servers pay gone) so that they have more time to run trays, get bread etc... Besides that, managers are constantly yelling over the top of everyone. If you say anything negative to your co-workers, you end up in the office being advised to keep your thoughts to yourself. They make you feel like you are no more than a number. No matter how hard you work, it is never enough for them. No pat on the back or anything positive. You can NEVER do enough. Same servers get the same good sections and nothing is ever fair. It takes away your respect and greatly affects your attitude. I think everone will be seeing a not-so-good change in the restuarant people have known over the years. Portions are smaller, prices higher and the service not as good. Greed will be their ultimately downfall. Too bad they can't see it.

Good food at a good price.  The quality does vary from location to location and the ones in New Jersey are HORRIBLE!

Great Chicken Fried Steak. I recommend breakfast anytime. Good coffee, Fair prices

I just have something short to say. haha they give you too much food. You get the plate and think...how in the world am I going to eat all that? I am desperate for a job and one just opened up in the outdoor mall about 20 minute walk away. I think I'm going to apply, cause I'm low on cash and Christmas is comming up. Ive always wanted to buy my whole family really nice gifts, maybe this year I can do it. Hopefully halfway decent. Im a bit scared, this will only be my 2nd retail/food service job.

The service is EXCELLENT you never have to ask for a refill on your drinks. Great home cooked meal

Cracker Barrell is the leading cause of explosive diarrhea...it'd be better to consume the food in the bathroom on the toilet just so you don't shit yourself in the dining area....squirt-squirt...how many times have you seen a trail fromt he dinning room to the bathroom?

Cracker Barrel is not the value it once was. For this style of food, I would rather gamble with a non-franchise restaurant - a place that locals go on Sunday afternoon.

I believe John McCain is the new fry cook at Cracker Barrel.  I've never eaten here but their country store is sort of quaint.

when you're traveling on the interstate this is the best place to dine and dash. when you get your bill take a trip to the bathroom while your dining companion fetches the get-away car. slip out the door through the gift shop, hop in the car, and hit the road with a full stomach and full wallets.

The food gave me and my wife the shits. It seemed like a good place to eat. One hour later... you can count on squirting on the porcelon pot. Just think back to the last meal you ate there.

Very good combination of country food.

People will always bitch about every eating establishment, they are never satisfied. I enjoy this establishment, the food is good and the service is as well. I also love the gift shop and the massive fire places. Go there and enjoy.

I love Cracker Barrel.  I am shocked so many others dislike it so much.  I think you get a ton of food for the price.  I suggest the breaded shrimp.  You get to choose 3 sides, I always get the same: fried okra, steak fries, and dumplings.  I love it, I can't wait to go back!!!

Always great home-cooking and love the rocking chairs on the porch.

Every time I'm in Florida I end up having breakfast at this joint. Not because I really want to, because thats all you get down there around certain areas. That aside, breakfast here isn't bad.

I worked at Cracker Barrel (store #612) and I just quit today. I loved my job, the cutsomers, and most of my coworkers...but I HATED the shit that the management got away with. I liked the managers as people in the real world, but as managers I didn't like most of them. They worked you for hours on end, even if you didn't have the hours they worked you in your availability schedule. I'm a freshmen in college (a nursing major) and I need my sleep, and time to study. Many of my coworkers on the night shift were my age too. Whenever any of us needed to get off earlier than normal....or even just needed to actually LEAVE ON TIME they wouldn't let us. Even if it was for a class we were going to miss because of work, or because we needed to study for an exam. They just didn't care. I understand that it's a business, but they need to actually CARE for their employees a little. Especially when the younger employees are the ones who work to go to school. It's like they don't understand that our job is NOT our life. Our first priority is school. When I told them I could only work certain hours, I MEANT it. They never scheduled me within the time frame I said I was available, because they didn't care. They made my peers skip classes and flunk tests to work overtime. Finally, last night we were really short staffed, which I understand. Instead of politely asking us to stay as long as we were available I(which I would have stayed an extra hour or so) they refused to cut us off the floor, and told us we had to stay. I worked for 11 hours with no break and no food. It was rediculous. I hadn't even started on my sidework or silverware by the time they cut me so I worked another hour and half after they did take me off the floor. I had mono last year and I get sick and exhausted really easily. I don't call in a lot, and I thought since they worked me forever yesterday they'd understand when I woke up late and feeling like shit and called in to say I just couldn't do it today. They didn't. The manager told me if I called in, then I couldn't work there anymore. They try to make sick people come in all the time...but I said, I just couldn't work today. So he said that I officially quit my job by not coming in. I am trying to find a job on or closer to campus anyway, and was planning on quitting in the next week or two, so I just said "okay then I guess I quit because I can't come in today". The end. Essentially he fired me, I don't care how he words it, he told me I couldn't be sick without losing my job. If it weren't for the fact that they overwork minors, (which I am a minor still because the legal age here is 19), don't usually allow regular breaks, and are unproffessional when it comes to needing us to work overtime, I'd be fine. The job wasn't too hard, the people were nice, but it wasn't worth working to the point of failing school and getting sick.I'm sorry but this is one of the best choices I ever made. It's time to move on to a place that is a bit more flexible.

Cracker Barrel sucks, especially the one in s.a., tx. i used to cook there, it was the worst job i've ever had. i would explain but it's not worth it.

Wow Such Harsh Reviews...I got a Job at Cracker Barrel Right After I turned 16, and I just quit at age 19 since I am going into the NAVY...All I can say is that I absolutely loved working at that place, The management was AWESOME (Store #453) And we always had regular guests, I was a Host, and Although it was repetitive, same thing every day, well worth it...I learned alot from that place and all I can say is Thanks to Cracker Barrel, The staff is friendly, the food is great...and JonathanBaker1 obviously didnt work long enough to truly judge a place like Cracker Barrel...

consistantly good no matter which one you go to. Pretty close to good ole fashioned southern cookin! Cant beat it for breakfast when you are on the road! They are usually very busy in the morning, especially on weekends. But there is a country store (lots of overpriced gifty stuff) to look around in while you are waiting for a table. I cant believe anyone hasn't eaten here, but if you havent, you'll find one at just about every other interstate exit, atleast in the midwest or south!

I work at Cracker Barrel in Mount Vernon, Illinois. Oh my GOD this place is Sooooo dirty, disgusting is more of the word. The management treats you like thieves, walks you out after your shift. You can't even drink a soda out of the fountain without paying for it (not even fast food is that cheap) The par 4 servers are BITCHES!!!! I hate them all, they take their job way to seriously. i am frantically seaking other employment and when i find it I won't even call them to tell them I resign. They aren't worth it.....Please never never apply for a job there....PS i have waited tables at Ruby Tuesday, Red Lobster, TGIFridays and Ihilani Resort in Hawaii so it's not the job....This company SUCKS!!!!!!!!

I love cracker barrel, i happen to work at the largest producing cracker barrel in the u.s and would'nt change a thing. It is SPOTLESS clean in the back, the cooks wear gloves, hairnets, facial hair nets, aprons ect.. all you can see are their eyes! There are sinks everywhere, everyone washes their hands constantly. we do not get fired for eating biscuits, for heavensakes!!! We NEVER touch food, lemons ect.. with bare hands, gloves only. We are required to have clean, fresh, ironed clothes, hair in buns, no nail polish but who cares? i wounld'nt want a dirty person serving me food either! The food is great! And it happenes to be cooked in one of the cleanest kitchens that i've ever seen, every night there entire place gets hosed down and scrubbed for hours. the employees are treated great, we get half priced meals on the clock, and 20% off for up to 6 people all other times including things from the gift shop, even if the are on sale already, we get insurance, paided vacations, and flexible schedules and every one gets christmas bonuses threre's even scholarships that are awarded. we have more 4 star workers in our store than ive ever seen, because we love it. i love my managers too thay are friendly and easy to talk to. They encourage employees to advance and become managers and do everything that they can to help them acheive those goals. we get constant praise for a job well done, and i love it. i have so many regular customers and compliments everynight, and i know that im good at want i do, my tips prove that! where else can you work a simple job and pull in $120-$150, not including your check, in 8 hours??? For all those people who are complaining, you have obvliously never walked into my store and you don't know what good food is suppose to taste like.

Great memories of this place.  We use to take trips in the car through beautiful Virginia in the fall and stop at Craker Barrel.  The food is delicious and the prices are right.  Always enjoyed my visits to CB.

I truly detest Cracker Barrel. It is SO NASTY! CB is a greedy money-hungry corp. that treats their employees like shit. I worked there for a week and it sucked terribly. The bullshit video and testing is rediculous. And once you are there, they treat you like a thief. I have worked in a few restraunts, and NEVER been treated so poorly. That place is full of shit. And now that I have seen the kitchen, I WILL NEVER EAT THERE AGAIN!!!! It is filthy!!! I just can't serve old leftovers at that price and put up with that crap! The only reason they stay in business is b/c they over charge and dumb people buy into it! I would not feed that GREASY CRAP to my DOG!!!!!!

good downhome food is accurate - I love pulling off the road & having this as option over most fast food

We do have one of these in our area and I never really go there, but I do like their mashed potatoes which are real with the skins still in there.

Cracker Barrel is good for downhome type cooking. They have a great variety on the menu and their soups and sandwiches are awsome. Service is so so at most stores. I also like the store. You can find some neat things and some of them aren't priced too badly though some things are high. Depending on what part of the country you are in you can find neat local stuff in the store. The decor is neat and in the winter the big fireplace makes it homey.

I worked at Cracker Barrel for about a month before I realized how cheap and greedy that corporation is. First of all, they are too cheap to hire a busboy, so you are constantly bussing your own tables. If your tables dont need bussing you have to help others in the dining room bus their tables. This wouldn't be so bad if the restaurant wasn't always completely mobbed with people. You have to carry a tray and constantly load it with dirty dishes. Then, after you get to the bus pan, you have to seperate the silverware from the glasses and empty trash off plates and seperate that.Also the sidework is ALWAYS at least 2hrs.They make servers practically scrub the restaurant clean b/c they know they are only paying us 2.13 an hour to bust our asses after our shift. Also, they make you stock the rootbeer, and frosted mugs and they are so HEAVY to carry. Its not even worth the money you make. I averaged $50 on weeknights and 120-130$ on weekends but I made the same or more at every other restaurant I worked and doing less than half the work. Also I never worked at a restaurant where they will fire you for eating a biscuit without permission. As far as the restaurant goes, I will give them credit for their cleaniness and organization, even though the food is LOADED with grease

There is pig meat and pig fat in nearly every food item at Cracker Barrel, even a couple of cups of bacon grease in the corn muffins! Clearly, they offer almost nothing for Jews, Christians, and Muslims who observe the dietary laws. They also throw lemons in the tea without asking if you want them, and not on the side of the glass, but actually in the tea, with the dirty rind and all the fingerprints on it! They even put pig meat in the salads they make ahead of time and do not have a salad bar or any way to make your own salad or have what you like on it. Hot chocolate is a disaster as well, with lumpy bits of instant chocolate sticking all over the cup, since they tell me thay don't have even the most basic dispenser and make it by hand, cup by cup using only hot water and a spoon.

There is pig meat and pig fat in nearly every food item at Cracker Barrel, even a couple of cups of bacon grease in the corn muffins! Clearly, they offer almost nothing for Jews, Christians, and Muslims who observe the dietary laws. They also throw lemons in the tea without asking if you want them, and not on the side of the glass, but actually in the tea, with the dirty rind and all the fingerprints on it! They even put pig meat in the salads they make ahead of time and do not have a salad bar or any way to make your own salad or have what you like on it. Hot chocolate is a disaster as well, with lumpy bits of instant chocolate sticking all over the cup, since they tell me thay don't have even the most basic dispenser and make it by hand, cup by cup using only hot water and a spoon.

I've never been to a restaurant where EVERY location is set up the same way......whether it's Winchester, VA, Ocala, FL, Louisville, KY or Toledo, OH. That gift store is a nice way to kill time while waiting for a table. They are efficient there---very friendly. Good food. I like it.

I recently ate at the Tewksbury MA Cracker Barrel. YUCK the food had no taste the waitress was fast but rude, (her name started with a D) I had the chicken and dumplings and it was almost completely void of taste. The manager was an arrogant ass and I had a hard time understanding him. I had a hard time tracking him down and he made me feel as though I was bothering him, even though it was slow. I don't know how this chain stays in business if they're all like this. The store smells great but is grossly overpriced. This resteraunt needs help.

As a employee of Cracker Barrel I have seen the good and the bad sides of the company. The good sides have been with the ppl I have worked with and the guests I have served.. also say that have had bad times with guests and employees.. the bad part, and what I think that is the worst.. is making servers roll silverware or do sidework AFTER the store has closed and we are no longer making tips but only making $2.13 a hour, when food is in the window and a manager yells out."FOOD IN THE WINDOW" and your on ur way out to either greet a guest or bring their drinks. I have also had the prob of being put on 15 hour shifts on sundays without them asking me if i could or would do it, and no i couldnt because that is way to many hours for anyone person and i wouldnt do it because i really dont want to spend my WHOLE sunday at work, i do have a family and a life.. other then that i enjoy working for the company sometimes things dont always work out the way we want them too but its up to us to change them if we dont like how things are..

Good country cookin' at a good price.

Always my favorite for breakfast anytime. I can do without most of the other menu selections though... If I'm close to a Cracker Barrel and there is nothing else around, I'll eat breakfast there for dinner...

I've eaten at Cracker Barrel only once - just last month - here are my brief impressions. Since I enjoy "comfort food" and heard the prices were fairly reasonable I thought I'd give it a try. My wife and I ordred our meal; I chose the chicken and dumplings with several sides (hash browns, veggies, etc). To our surprise the food was brought out to us in about 90 seconds flat, a record for us in any sit-down eating establishment. It was only when we started eating did I realize why our order was finished in such a flash. Clearly the food had been cooked en mass, army style, as it was as bland as bland could be. The dumplings were flat, not resembling any I'd ever seen before, and were clearly made hours earlier as they'd obviously been sitting in gravy half the day and tasted like nothing more than soggy leftovers. The hashbrowns ordered were actually UNDER-cooked (another first), the chicken and gravy were rather tasteless and even our sodas were basically flat. My biscuit was ok but at that point I didn't really care..."Check please!" Needless to say, we had plenty of leftovers that evening, not that we took them home or anything! Rating: *1/2

I don't know wtf is up with all of you employees... complaining about clear purses amd lunch boxes... I have worked for this company for six months now and have NEVER thought of these things as a big deal. And be totally honeest with yourself, if they honestly arepatting downyour coat at the door they probably hae a reason... oh wait they do and it is calledTHEY DON'T TRUST YOU! In six months I have never seen them pat down ANYONE's coat, but yes they do make us carry clear purses, so wha it's not really that big of a deal. So guess what ladies bring a f-ing quarter with you to buy a freakin tampon instead of carring one in with you. NOT A BIG DEAL. I have also never had a problem with the management, never been treated unjustly, never been screamed at for frivilous reasons and NEVER had a problem with scheduling if you have you just must not have very good mangaers. Overall this is the best place I have ever worked, so get over your lttle five year old hissey fit and get over yourself. IT'S NOT REALLY THAT BAD

I don't know what is wrong with all of you employeees! I have worked at Cracker Barrel for almost six months now... and I do not find clear purses a big deal... I don't know if that is because I started at a brand new store, having been trained by the red shirts or what, but quite frankley I think it is the best job I have ever had! I love most of the management team that I work for they are all fantastic and NEVER treat anyone specially. They are a very good comapany to work for, plus how many restaurants base raises on actual preformance, company, and menu knowledge... NONE that I have ever worked for. I believe that this is an excelent company to work for and I am proud to say that I work there. Every company has it's quirks, so what if they pat down your coats down or make you carry a clear purse... it's a little thing called asset protection. IF they actually pat you down they probably don't trust you and if they check your purse then they probably have a feeling that you ARE stealing, so just get off your great big'ol high horse and snap back into reality!!! If you actually stop and think about it they are only trying to secure you a place to work... if all the employees were stealing stuff everyday they would eventually lose enough money that they would have to fire some people and really cut everyone's hours. After all like they say "It isn't just a piece of candy, it's your job." Plus think about everything they do for their employees: they sent food and supplies to their workers after the hurricanes this year (how many other companies did thay, they helped them by continueing to pay their salaries until they could find another job, or be transferred, they took the red-shirts that were affected and sent them to opening stores to train new employees, they have a 24hour employee crises hot line, good insurance that isn't too expensive, and an ever important open-door policy. If you don't like how your store is being run take it to the hot-line or to your GM. But don't ruin the whole companies reputation by spreading your opinion about one store all over the internet, because it hurts eveyone in the company, not just your store!!! -server store 567 Herculaneum, MO

I worked at crapper barrel for 4 weeks, in that four weeks they refused to feed me, but would fire me if I ate a crouton, the mgrs.are insane and childish, they worked me a day shift and at 4:00 they were still seating me, the idiot hostess was told to stop seating me, I had been there since 9:00 that morning, at 4:30 she triple sat me and seemed hight, or just plain stupid - the so called checker - server states "your going to take these tables", well, needless to say I told then to stick it, never have I ever worked for such a low class, nasty establishment in my life. They inflated my tips so my last check was fourteen dollars, and took the remaining tips off my tables and put them in ther pockets. I reported the this to corp. could not care less, they -like Walmart will not allow you to take a break or eat. THEY SUCK! CINTI - SHARONVILLE - ONLY A YEAR OLD AND IT IS AWFUL....

Great food and great service! The portions are generous and the waiters and waitresses are efficient and friendly. They have a satisfied customer in me.

I also work for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, and I think it sucks. They treat their employees unjustly (cutting their hours if they dont agree to work weekends or do scut work for 3 dollars an hour). And furthermore the food is terrible, i cant count how many times I've seen a server drop a biscuit on the floor and serve it anyway, or grill cooks not wearing the proper protective garments, such as hairnets and gloves.Our store isnt as cute and quaint as everyone seems to believe either, we buy this merchandise from the manufacturers for almost nothing and then sell it at our grossly over-priced prices.We even offer prizes to the employee that can badger the guests into buying the most of one particular item in their shift.I just wanted to share all of this so people could know that its isnt as "down home friendly" as people seem to think.

Here's a true story about Cracker Barrel in Florence, Kentucky. Recently, an eleven year employee was FIRED for eating a BISCUIT. It's true. Singled out and alone, this young lady was asked repeatedly if she knew of employees STEALING. Confused and scared, she felt the inquirer wanted SOMETHING--ANYTHING. This same employee always worked holidays and double shifts as needed. In 11 years this employee HAD NEVER CALLED OFF. She was always punctual and frequently guests commented on what a hard worker she was. Guests even brought her CHRISTMAS GIFTS over the years because she was always recognized as a great, helpful worker. BUT, perhaps Cracker Barrel realized that they could hire someone for less money and avoid the three week vacation this young lady had earned through her years of hard work. So, finally, when the inquirer asked if she had ever taken anything, the young lady said "I ate a biscuit once." SO SHE WAS FIRED. It's even listed on the dismissal form along with the price of restitution of .50 cents. In her innocence, and because of her reluctance to point the finger at others, she failed to say how EVERYONE eats biscuits. No one even HIDES it because while employees know they have to pay for their meals, they GIVE biscuits away and THROW away countless biscuits at the end of the day. If you are familiar with Cracker Barrel in Florence, be aware of the absence of the long term hostess and how she was UNFAIRLY treated. BETTER YET, BOYCOTT THIS LOCATION.

I don't get the love for this resturant. I have never eaten anything there that tastes good.