I like Cracker Barrel

[DemocratSinceBirth]

It's not haute cuisine, but it's okay. I'm not a food snob. I like it better because MAGA doesn't.

[obamanut2012]

1. I do, too

The only two things I miss since moving to CA a few years ago are Aldi and Cracker Barrel.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

5. The one in Camarillo is a thirty-to-forty-five-mile drive for me, and it's adjacent to a large outlet mall.

MAGA hates it because they strive to be welcoming to everybody

[LeftInTX]

2. Never been. Although there is one not too far from me, it's in awkward area off an exit ramp.

I would need to approach it from the back. I've just never been.

Menu prices look expensive and I can get the same food elsewhere.

Looking at the Yelp reviews, it looks like it sells junk like Bucee's. But Bucee's has crappy fast food and good junk. (Clothes, books, novelties, etc)
I wonder if Bucee's is taking over some of their customers? I do stop at Bucee's while on the road.

[Wifes husband]

10. You have never eaten there, but still have a comment

The food is good. Of course, I have actually eaten there, so what do I know

[Wifes husband]

17. Snarky perhaps

Don't agree with rude.

[ret5hd]

27. If you ever get to NYC you should...

try Olive Garden. Excellent italian food.

[FHRRK]

35. Thanks for the tip

Also if you want some great seafood there is a Red Lobster place that is AMAZING

[Conjuay]

39. Now that's interesting.

If I managed to get back to NYC, I would visit Little Italy.
I would then walk the streets with a grease stained bag of zeppoles, too stuffed to eat them,but trying to anyway.

To each their own, I guess.

[Conjuay]

43. I think I just walked into a trap baited for someone else

[DemocratSinceBirth]

47. Then they wonder why we struggle to attract working class voters

[Oeditpus Rex]

45. Make sure Paco Rabinowitz is with you

He knows the secret menu.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

46. I prefer Rao's. I've been to the one in Hollywood.

Also if you're in LA check out Dan Tanas. I've been to Olive Garden multiple times. It's not haute cuisine but it's good enough.

[LeftInTX]

58. I was just making a generic, neutral comment.

No comment about the food quality, although I notice the prices are on the high side

[Tanuki]

26. Buc-ee's founder/CEO is a major donor to Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton

https://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=ms-android-att-us-revc&source=android-browser&q=buccees+abbott+paxton

"Arch “Beaver” Aplin III, owner of Texas-based gas station chain Buc-ee’s, has backed the Texas GOP for some time, even publicly supporting members of the state’s Republican party. In 2014, some Texans were upset (there was even talk of a boycott) after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick boasted about having Aplin’s support after his primary election win.

But now, a Texan’s recent look into Aplin’s financial support of the GOP has some considering a boycott.
.....
According to the database, Aplin has given to 20 Republican PACs, including Patrick, Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton, Speaker of the Texas House Dade Phelan, and former speaker Dennis Bonnen. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Aplin has given the most to Abbott: $1,025,000 to be exact. Donations to other PACs range from $1,000 to $375,000.

Since July 14, Aplin has donated $490,000. More than half of those donations have gone toward Abbott’s PAC."....(more)

[LeftInTX]

48. Yes, i know. But I also heard the same on DU about Cracker Barrel numerous times.

I do wonder if Bucee's is taking some of their business?

However, on the road from Austin to San Antonio at 11:30 pm and I don't where anything else is near New Braunfels to stop, I know where Bucee's is because they make their presence well known.

I was falling asleep and starving. We know where the Bucee's are. As I got off the exit to go to Bucee's, I saw an "In and Out" in the distance, but didn't know if it was open. Everything closes so early these days and Bucee's is open 24/7. By the time I spotted In and Out, I was already going in the opposite direction.

Got a crappy BBQ sandwich, banana pudding and a coke (for the caffeine)

[BigMin28]

3. They pay the front

end staff $8.02 an hour. I guess they should be happy it's not minimum wage.

[sinkingfeeling]

6. I worked for them back I 2002-03 and I was paid $16 an hour back then.

[TnDem]

9. $16 an hour for Cracker Barrel 30+ years ago?

That's odd because I worked heavy industrial at the time and I think I made around $11-12 an hour...It was about a mile from a Cracker Barrel on I-40 and I don't recall anyone in any restaurant capacity making anywhere near that,

[Jack Valentino]

28. Paid or made ??

That amount seems probable "with tips", if you were part of the wait-staff,
but extremely unlikely otherwise, even if you were the store manager at that time---
well, maybe, maybe not, in that year...

[sinkingfeeling]

37. I worked in the store, not a wait staff.

[cannabis_flower]

54. They are probably franchises

In which case it would entirely depend on the franchise owner.

[BigMin28]

15. A friend

recently interviewed to work in the store and registers. They were told starting wage was $8.02 per hour. 16 would be quite fair.

[Igel]

4. The food was family fare, for the most part.

Wide variety of "home" dishes.

On the other hand, I really liked the decor. When bored while waiting, or on the way to/from the RR, I'd stop and ponder tools or pictures or posters.

Perhaps cookie cutter and about the same in every store, but a quirky and interesting cookie.

[Silent Type]

7. Don't drive across town for one, but I like CB well enough. Hope MAGA gets mad and boycotts. One of my problems with

CB is too many red-hat-rubes frequent the place.

[Trueblue Texan]

42. Even rednecks enjoy a good meal. nt

[Uncle Joe]

8. I almost always eat their Country Boy Breakfast, no matter the time of day.

Thanks for the thread DemocratSinceBirth

[MurrayDelph]

12. I prefer Grandma's Sampler (formerly known as Grandma's Pancake Breakfast)

Before they expanded across the country*, when we would visit friends in Orlando, Cracker Barrel was our first meal in Florida (and sometimes the last before leaving for home). But the last time we went to one (in Salt Lake City), my meal didn't show up until my wife had finished hers, and I wanted to make miles. Now, we try to find Perkins or Original Pancake House instead. And if we ever find ourselves in Reno at breakfast time not wanting to make miles (or just settle for casino coffee shop, since there are no buffets anymore), rather than Cracker Barrel we'll go to Peg's Glorified or Squeeze Inn.

*They had three along I-5 in Oregon, that have all closed.

[BannonsLiver]

11. It's a great place to go if someone needs a good clear out

[DemocratSinceBirth]

18. Have they been associated with foodborne illnesses?

[BannonsLiver]

19. No I'm talking about the chicken fried steak and gravy.

[Tommy Carcetti]

13. They had the best sausage biscuits.

A few years ago you could get them as a platter but for whatever reason, they stopped.

I haven't been to one in about a year, but they still had decent food. The interior always reminded me of my friend's house growing up with the knickknacks on the walls.

I'm not a snob when it comes to chain restaurants like some folks are. They don't always offer necessarily the best food but usually offer a predictably average to above average meal if you're in the mood for going out and don't want to cook.

[mainer]

14. Don't forget the pegboard game!

The first time my family ate there (it was either Cracker Barrel or an awful hotel breakfast of cold hardboiled eggs and cereal), we were introduced to that insanely addictive little pegboard game.

I got home and immediately ordered three of those silly things online and gave them out at Christmas.

I expected awful food. But the breakfast was great.
And that kitschy gift shop was a lot of fun, especially around Christmas time when all the sparkly stuff comes out.

[Liberal In Texas]

20. They build Cracker Barrels just on the outside edge of medium sized towns along major highways.

When I would take long road trips and needed a break and lunch one of the CBs was right there along the way. The food was OK, probably diner quality, and the restrooms were pretty clean. Having a short browse through the gift shop was always entertaining.

My favorite lunch was the open faced hot roast beef sandwich with mashed. It was a helluva lot better than some fast food burger joint, which is about your only other choice when on the road.

[MorrisTheHalf a Cat]

21. Everyone misses this

That it's a felt long time crapping on people that results in complaints.

[GP6971]

23. Not sure I understand what you mean.

[JoseBalow]

24. A nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat, eh?

[MorrisTheHalf a Cat]

25. You got it :P

[LetMyPeopleVote]

50. Welcome to DU

[miyazaki]

22. They sell firecrackers?

[Keepthesoulalive]

29. Fish Fridays

And the fried apples.

[MrWowWow]

30. You Definitely Know You've Left "Civilization"

When you start seeing Wafool House and Crapper Barrel "restaurants" from the fucking interstate.

[Trueblue Texan]

41. Not nice.

Cracker Barrel serves excellent food consistently.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

44. Then they wonder why working class voters are running away from us.

[ms liberty]

60. In other words, you've never actually left the interstate in those places you deem to be beyond civilization

Or you'd know that Cracker Barrels are always by an interstate, or in a city on a major highway near a shopping area. Waffle Houses are always by an interstate or on a major highway, often near a shopping area.

NEITHER of them appear in very rural, isolated areas or in small towns away from cities. Out here in the BFE in my neck of the woods, our local version of the Awful Waffle is called the Coffee House. The nearest Waffle House or Cracker Barrel is a good 25 miles away by the interstate and the larger towns.

Dude, I've been in Waffle Houses with hostess seating and I've seen European sports cars filling the parking lot of both. Head to one of the Cracker Barrels or the Waffle Houses in Chapel Hill/Raleigh/Durham one Sunday.

Your comment is not really amusing, and more importantly it's not accurate.

[Bayard]

32. I could eat their French toast breakfast any day of the week

[Wifes husband]

34. Coca cola cake and pork chops

Biscuits are not bad

[no_hypocrisy]

36. I like their pot liquor to dip bread in.

[Norbert]

38. There are not too many places around me that serves comfort food.

I like to go out for a pot roast once in a while and Cracker Barrel's is pretty good. We used to go to Bob Evens but I don't think the food quality is as good as it once was.

[Trueblue Texan]

40. They have the BEST cornbread and greens you'll find in any southern restaurant.

That's my favorite meal when I go there. Amazing cornbread! And unlike so many restaurants, they use REAL butter, not that cinnamon dosed crap that's made from soybean oil.

[Emile]

49. How do you ignore all the cobwebs hanging off

all the crap hanging on the ceiling and walls?

[hamsterjill]

51. I like their breakfast menu

I also like their turkey and dressing. It's just simple food.

I'm in redneck Texas and unless I NEVER want to go out and eat, I am pretty much going to be eating somewhere that someone has an issue with. Honestly, I'd rather eat somewhere corporate than the mom-and-pop locals who fly the Trump flag and have "Gulf of America" on their menus.

That's just me. I don't eat out nearly as much as I once did. Retired and learning to cook more.

[Torchlight]

52. I think I ate there once after a funeral about 20 years ago in NC

I don't remember much about the place, the food or the service, but I can see one franchise-store from my favorite low-brow chair in the local Pancho's Mexican Buffet.

[mvd]

53. Generally I do too

The one in my area is too far away for delivery and can’t get there by car. So I use Bob Evans, which is also good for some meals.

[MIButterfly]

55. My best friend once made chicken and dumplings when I went to visit her.

Last edited Mon Aug 25, 2025, 04:13 PM - Edit history (1)

She got the recipe online and said it was almost as good as Cracker Barrel's. I've never eaten at a Cracker Barrel so I wouldn't know, but her chicken and dumplings were delicious. It made me think that if Cracker Barrel's chicken and dumplings were better than hers, I should try it, but there aren't any Cracker Barrel restaurants anywhere near me.

To me, the thing about chain restaurants is that you always know what to expect when you go there. The Cracker Barrel (or Red Lobster or Olive Garden) will basically be the same on your vacation out west as it is in your home state. Personally, I prefer to try local restaurants when I travel, but to each his own.

[ms liberty]

56. I grew up eating the real deal - southern country cooking. Cracker Barrel is pretty good, at a reasonable price .

It's not as good as my mother or my grandmother 's cooking, but it's pretty solid for a restaurant. The hash brown casserole is a must have, the roast beef is excellent, the chicken & dumplings are good, too. They do a breakfast beignet with a pecan praline sauce that I like to have for dessert!

[Jilly_in_VA]

57. My daughter worked there for a short time out of HS

She pretty much hated it, especially on Sundays around 12: 30 when, she said, and I quote, "All the fat Baptist no-tippers come in, take up all your time and tables, and run you crazy." After a short stint there, she left for the Country Club, where she said the Sunday brunchers could be about as obnoxious but were better tippers.

[Ritabert]

59. I used to go there when on the road.

The food's reliable and good. Back when I ate chicken you couldn't beat their chicken pot pie. Now I would get the veggie sides platter.