I intend to call and speak to their manager. If I send a note, s/he would likely not see it. If I speak to him/her, I will know they got the message.
I've heard from someone outside of the forum that the only Cracker Barrel in Maine isn't nearly as good as it used to be, but the last couple of times we were there, we thought it was as good as always.
We stopped at a Cracker Barrel in Alabama on our way to GA last week, and at another one in Florida on our way home. It's nice to stop and get out of the car for a while. We also had Duncan Donuts and Dairy Queen soft serve cones along the way. If we had to travel much farther we'd probably have outgrown our clothes on the trip.
I ate in a Cracker Barrel once that I can recall. I feel lucky that by some miracle I didn't come down with a case of food poisoning. Mashed potatoes should not have black lumps. Meatloaf should not be cold and wet and smell strongly of vinegar. Terrible place. Terrible. And what's with the hillbilly half-acre "gift" shop full of crap? Who falls for this stuff? Foreign visitors? Aliens?
I've eaten at the Cracker Barrel in South Portland, Maine several times, and have eaten in other Cracker Barrels along the East Coast, and have found them to be consistently good, whether stopping for breakfast or lunch. Since I don't eat in fancy restaurants if I can help it, Cracker Barrel has been one of the better ones I've patronized. My only concerns are that they are often so busy that it can be a long wait for a table.
I agree that CB isn't haute cuisine, but I am never disappointed by their breakfasts. In fact, I don't recall ever having anything other than breakfast foods when we go there, no matter what time of day.
I love their fried catfish and hubby likes their meatloaf and I love their gift shop, to browse in more than to buy. They are kinda pricey.
I just had lunch at a Cracker Barrel in Richmond VA. I drove my neighbor into the big city for his colonoscopy and he & his wife bought me lunch. He & I wanted to do Golden Corral, but since COVID, she won't eat at buffets. The last time I ate at Cracker Barrel was at least 30 years ago. I did not think today's meal was pricey. I got 4 pieces of fried chicken, 2 sides, cornbread AND biscuit, and a drink for under $13. A 4 piece meal at Popeye's is over $14, and that only comes with one side, one biscuit and a drink. Plus CB's chicken pieces are larger. Yeh, that was kinda weird. But they do have a good assortment of the old classic candies.
Maybe we will have to try our Cracker Barrel again. We have not been in there for several years, because it is always busy and always so noisy you can’t have a nice conversation while enjoying your meal out. We have usually gone to IHOP, which is just down the street, and has similar foods and is not noisy. Sunday, we decided to try having an early dinner there, and discovered that IHOP was closed at 2:30 on a Sunday afternoon ! We already learned that they close early in the afternoon on some weekdays, so you have to see if they are actually open before driving down there (part of the reason we have not gone in several months); but we certainly expected it to be open on a Sunday afternoon when the church people are having their dinner.
The place was crowded when we went in. It was mostly seniors, with a few grand kids sprinkled in. We left about 2PM, and my car was about the only one in the parking lot. I thought we missed the air raid siren. The IHOP out my way had some really weird hours during & just after COVID, but they seemed to settle down into a routine. I cannot imagine them closing during Brunch hours on a Sunday. Just out of curiosity I looked on their website to see the hours for my location, and the hours for Huntsville (Memorial Pkwy.) It looks like they are open 24 hours on Saturday, close at 6AM Sunday and reopen at noon. Goodness know why they would be closed at 2:30, unless no one showed up for work. Of course, not opening until noon on Sunday ain't the slickest business move they could make, either. I think these franchisees are able to get away with doing what they want, for some reason. The one near me was bought by an existing IHOP franchisee out of Baltimore MD (150 miles away) right before COVID hit (oops.) He sold it to another business that owns multiple restaurants. I believe the current owner owns one other IHOP, and that's somewhere in the mid west. I went there with friends not too long ago and ordered an IHOP burger. The patty was as thin as the cheapest McDonald's regular burger. He is not using the mandated sources for his food.
Hmmm...I've eaten in Cracker Barrels in quite a few states as well as the one here in town. In my experience the food has been consistent and good but it's possible that you landed in a bad one. Or maybe it's just the kind of foods they have that you dislike. It's pretty much country home style food. The restaurants are very busy at meal times and have a steady stream of customers between meals. As to the hillbilly "crap" you saw there the gift shop has some unique items as well as old brands of candies and other things that are harder to find in most stores. All you have to do is walk past it and out the door if it's offensive. Restaurants are closing here, both chains and independents. If it keeps up at the current rate there's going to be a lot less choice.
We frequently buy some of it. If nothing else, browsing provides something to do while waiting for a table.
Ditto. I like their fried apples (that used to come in a glass jar but now are canned) and several of the old fashioned candies. I have also bought gag gifts and t-shirts in Cracker Barrel's store while milling around in there.
Since my husband and I eat our main meal around 3 or 4 p.m. most days, we find if we go to any restaurant in mid-afternoon the lunch crowd has cleared out and the dinner crowd isn't there yet. One plus is that many places have a lunch menu that is good until 3 p.m. or so, offering cheaper options.