Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

[Ole Joe Clark]

I had a upper GI not long ago, which meant no food, no water, no COFFEE, until after the procedure. When they turned me loose, I had the wife drive me to Cracker Barrel for a Uncle Herman breakfast and 3 cups of coffee.

I ate the whole thing.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

 

[GaryS]

I prefer Dale Evans, but that's a different story.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcYsO890YJY&ytbChannel=curleyb3[/ame]

I do agree about the noise level. You can't sit with a group of friends and chat.

I've always thought that the food is very salty, but the coffee is pretty good.

Eating there is like eating in a school cafeteria. It is so noisy, you have to yell to be heard by the person sitting across from you. I always leave with a headache. Being from Ohio, I prefer Bob Evans.

 

[Walkingwolf]

Eating there is like eating in a school cafeteria. It is so noisy, you have to yell to be heard by the person sitting across from you. I always leave with a headache. Being from Ohio, I prefer Bob Evans.

I avoid anyplace franchise, or big chains. I like my food with some flavor, and CB just does not have it. It is like going to an Italian restaurant that Americanizes the food.

Add to that CB nationwide policy on carry is not pro carry. They do not post, but their official stand is only law enforcement carries in the business. Some managers ignore it, and leave customers alone. If CC'd properly they never know. But I still will not give them a dime.

 

[walkin jack]

A few years back I drove my daughters car home from New York City to here in Deer Park Texas. Went through the Lincoln (I think) tunnel and came out in New Jersey.

Our first meal stop was in Mananas (SP) Virginia. There was a Cracker Barrel right there on the side of I-95. We had never been in one and decided to give it a try. We liked it a lot. Miss Pam enjoyed shopping in the country store too.

We ran all the way down I-95 to West Memphis Arkansas I believe it was and for the next two day the only place we ate was at a Cracker Barrel. Since that trip we eat at Cracker Barrel often. We have one to the north on I-45 in Conroe and one to the south on I-45 in League City. The one to the south is a lot closer but if we are going out I-45 to the north we always stop for breakfast there.

But it doesn't matter which one you go to the food is always the same and always good and the service is friendly and professional and in good time. Never had a bad meal, rude server or a long wait.

And very important...you can't beat their coffee. I've bought a bag of their ground coffee and made it at home and it's very good but it's a lot better if you let them make it and drink it there. We love all the old fashioned candy. Circus peanuts, Cracker Jack. Fire balls, Bit O' Honey, Root beer barrels, Milk duds. and so on and so forth.

When we go to Pam's folks for Christmas we do our Christmas shopping for all them there after we have breakfast.

 

[snowman]

Pretty sure everything is "fake" as in reproductions.

Not in the one I go to in this area, at least. The repro stuff is in the gift shop. I'm speaking of the dining area. They even have at least one metal sign from a lumber yard, owned by one of my forebears, that hasn't been in business for generations. The marks and faded paint on it tell the story. A lot of such stuff on the walls there, much of it local.

Regards,
Andy

 

[snowman]

How do you think the guys from "American Pickers" make their real money? They aren't the only ones, either, there's an industry, albeit a small one, that buys up antiques and discarded stuff and sells it as "decor".

On the whole, Grandma would probably be happy that people are seeing her picture and wondering who she was as opposed to that picture sitting in a trunk somewhere until someone decides to toss the whole thing.

Gary,

I've never seen American Pickers before, so naturally I've never thought of how they make their money. What you've said about antique buyers sounds reasonable. But in these parts family pictures, especially framed portraits, generally are treasured by the average person. Even if not all are displayed, they're taken out of storage and shared at gatherings so the family can reminisce together. My family enjoys such occasions from time to time.

Regards,
Andy

 

[the ringo kid]

I'm not old enough to have used many of the antiques, but I sure wonder how those folks find and acquire all that stuff to stock their many restaurants.

I also wonder how much they're paying so many people for their priceless family photographs. I wonder how grandma would feel if she knew her heirs were going to turn her portrait over to a restaurant chain to hang on one of their walls.

Well, pardon the drift -just some thoughts I have every time I eat in there.

Regards,
Andy


P.S. I think that their meatloaf and green beans are excellent -good enough to make you forget how old you are.

Most of the stuff on display in their restaurants--are new "antiques" especially made for the purpose of displaying in their stores.

BTW, love their food and unsweetened tea.

 

[JohnRippert]

That's where I get my banana moon pies. Mom likes to go there for lunch every once in a while and get their cheesy hash browns. I like to get their sirloin and eggs.

 

[the ringo kid]

Got to love a place that has a double barrel shotgun above the fireplace (at least mine does).

Probably fake, but you won't see that at the local hipster rabbit food eatery!!

In ours--the remnants of a musket--and and old .22 rifle of some kind.

 

[the ringo kid]

Not in the one I go to in this area, at least. The repro stuff is in the gift shop. I'm speaking of the dining area. They even have at least one metal sign from a lumber yard, owned by one of my forebears, that hasn't been in business for generations. The marks and faded paint on it tell the story. A lot of such stuff on the walls there, much of it local.

Regards,
Andy

Dining area is full of repo stuff too. The paper and metal items are "aged" by using sunlight-acids etc. Their checkers and boards are older than most of the "antiques" on display. One sign I wouldnt mind getting--is the Robin Hood Bread sign. I love the colors and graphics.

 

[snowman]

Dining area is full of repo stuff too. The paper and metal items are "aged" by using sunlight-acids etc. Their checkers and boards are older than most of the "antiques" on display. One sign I wouldnt mind getting--is the Robin Hood Bread sign. I love the colors and graphics.

I guess it's a matter of percentages. I've looked around at a lot of the items in the one I visit from time to time, and there is definitely a significant number of old items there, the sign from my family's lumberyard I mentioned earlier being just one example. My guess is that the antique buyers GaryS mentioned earlier are the source of a good bit of it. But we would have to ask some folks involved with the process to know for sure.

Andy

 

[the ringo kid]

I guess it's a matter of percentages. I've looked around at a lot of the items in the one I visit from time to time, and there is definitely a significant number of old items there, the sign from my family's lumberyard I mentioned earlier being just one example. My guess is that the antique buyers GaryS mentioned earlier are the source of a good bit of it. But we would have to ask some folks involved with the process to know for sure.

Andy

Real stuff is the exception-not the rule. If they mainly bought old stuff--CB would have to raise their food prices to a level I could no longer afford. We had a couple restaurants locally-that had a "Cafe Bijou" look and feel. Almost none of their images on walls-were anything but modern prints-same with movie posters. I collected this stuff when I could afford to--but havent for over a year. Most folks think an image is very expensive (antique shope certainly think, charge so--but never sell those items.

A couple years ago--I went into Bumblebee Antiques here in town--and stumbled across a full set of lobby cards to a war movie I wanted badly. These were printed in spanish--so the owner said these were uber rare and priced them as such. In a way-he was correct--but still flat-line wrong. These were priced I think-at $75 each--for 8 lobbies. The movie was" The Tanks Are Coming." I questioned the owner why he thought these were worth that much? said: because they were printed in spanish. In Spanish print-true not as many as American print--and worth almost nothing. Btw, my 8 card TTAC set--which was in much much better condition--$45 bucks.

When I revisited his store-I brought my set in to compare to his-he wanted them, but I said not for sale. I told him I got a complete set for about 1/2 price for ONE of his cards.

 

[Rule3]

Not in the one I go to in this area, at least. The repro stuff is in the gift shop. I'm speaking of the dining area. They even have at least one metal sign from a lumber yard, owned by one of my forebears, that hasn't been in business for generations. The marks and faded paint on it tell the story. A lot of such stuff on the walls there, much of it local.

Regards,
Andy

Well Sir I stand corrected.

Did some Goggle Fu and found many articles also this direct from Cracker Barrel, Seems they have a giant warehouse full of the real stuff!!

Bringing the Cracker Barrel Look to Life

 

[pawngal]

Man, the way you all rave about CB you would think it was the second coming.
I hope to never cross the doorstep of one again. I have been in several in different parts of the country. Never had a meal I would want to repeat.
The cold greenish scrambled eggs at one in AZ was the end for me.

 

[gdnagle]

I also wonder how much they're paying so many people for their priceless family photographs. I wonder how grandma would feel if she knew her heirs were going to turn her portrait over to a restaurant chain to hang on one of their walls.


Regards,
Andy

Apparently there is a large market for the old Photographs. I see them selling at auction and other places. I have the photo of my grandfather (oval and convex) and another of him and my father same type. I have no one left that would want them and wouldn't want them thrown away or destroyed. I had thought about putting their names on the back and selling them for whatever they would bring with the reasoning that anyone that would buy them would probably hang them up and at least they would be of some use to someone. I guess interior decorators use them for some reason. Better to be hung on Cracker Barrel wall then trashed.

 

[df06]

Wife and I really like their food. I always get chicken n dumplings, with cornbread and iced tea.

 

[gdnagle]

Eating there is like eating in a school cafeteria. It is so noisy, you have to yell to be heard by the person sitting across from you. I always leave with a headache. Being from Ohio, I prefer Bob Evans.

Well when you have old folks that are hard of hearing the have to yell. Heck before everyone in my family took the trail we will all travel at some time it was loud there and the radios and TV volumes wouldn't go loud enough for some of the folks. Good thing we had no close neighbors.

 

[loknload]

Well PG sorry to hear of your bad experience. From state to state that I travel the food has always been good and the hospitality and service was excellent plus they always have room for my motorhome!
Must have been the AZ location, maybe too hot in the kitchen?

 

[g-dad]

Well PG sorry to hear of your bad experience. From state to state that I travel the food has always been good and the hospitality and service was excellent plus they always have room for my motorhome!
Must have been the AZ location, maybe too hot in the kitchen?

I agree about with the consistency and good service. I cannot begin to imagine how many different CB's in how many different states we've been in over the last 40 yrs. I can count on 1 hand the number of bad meals we've had.

Getting back to the OP's comment, I did see my tennis racquet on the wall of one!!

Here's a good article about their store displays. Cracker Barrel warehouse is treasure trove of Americana

 

[Walkingwolf]

Man, the way you all rave about CB you would think it was the second coming.
I hope to never cross the doorstep of one again. I have been in several in different parts of the country. Never had a meal I would want to repeat.
The cold greenish scrambled eggs at one in AZ was the end for me.

The ones we ate in the food was not bad, just bland. Plus we just love going to restaurants where we have a connection with the staff. We also OC, and their no gun policy is enough alone to keep us from giving them our money.