8 Mistakes You're Making At Cracker Barrel

When you're on a road trip and you're starting to feel hungry but don't want fast food, there's a chain restaurant that you know is probably going to pop up every few exits. It's Cracker Barrel, the chain known for its Southern classics and all-day breakfast, its iconic peg game, and tchotchke-filled country store. It's a restaurant that seems simple enough, with a straightforward menu and rustic charm. But, whether you've only dined at Cracker Barrel a handful of times in your life or you go there on the regular, there's a good chance that you're making some mistakes when you dine.

By reading up on these various mistakes, you can easily avoid making them yourself and enhance your Cracker Barrel experience. So, go give your party's name to the hostess, get comfortable in one of those rocking chairs in front of the restaurant, and learn about the mistakes you should definitely avoid when you sit down at your table.

These days, eating out seems more expensive than ever, which means that you're probably looking for ways to cut costs where you can. Of course, that means making more food at home, but it can also mean looking for better deals when you do decide to dine out. And, if you're heading to Cracker Barrel on a budget, you're going to want to make sure that you don't ignore the daily specials.

Cracker Barrel boasts a wide range of specials, including lunch-sized portions of some of its most popular items and "daily dishes" that correspond to certain days of the week. In most cases, you can get these dishes at any point in the week, but by selecting them on their designated day, you could save a few bucks on your meal. If you're really smart, you'll plan your next Cracker Barrel trip according to when your favorite meal is set to become the daily dish.

So many of us abide by strict rules when it comes to the timing and content of our meals. Eating before 10 a.m.? That's breakfast, and only breakfast food shall be enjoyed at this time. Perhaps you always eat a salad at noon or choose to repeat the same meal-prepped dinner most nights of the week. But, when you're going out to eat, you can suspend some of those rules — or, at least, you can when you go to Cracker Barrel. The chain is known for serving its breakfast dishes all day long, so you can enjoy your usual morning favorites for lunch, dinner, or anywhere in between.

When you take a look at the menu, really think about what you're craving. If you happen to want a big plate of scrambled eggs at 7 p.m., go ahead and treat yourself. After all, it's not every restaurant you can visit for late-afternoon pancakes or a midday bacon and egg hashbrown casserole. 

Almost all major chain restaurants these days have accompanying apps, and although it may feel superfluous to actually download all of them onto your phone, it can definitely be worth having a few, especially if you dine out frequently. We definitely suggest downloading Cracker Barrel's app if you want to take advantage of several helpful features. First of all, there are the rewards — you can earn them by dining at Cracker Barrel and then redeem them later on.

But there are other reasons to download this app. It also allows you to order online if you're just interested in pickup, and it even lets you check wait times before you actually get to the restaurant. This can seriously come in handy during busy hours. You can even use the app to pay at the table, which is a convenient feature when you need to be somewhere in a hurry after your meal. Check it out for yourself if you're a Cracker Barrel regular.

For a lot of people, going to their favorite chain restaurant is something of a ritual. They have a certain place they like to sit, and they always order the same thing, confident that they're going to get a meal they like. However, sometimes, it can pay to be adventurous, which is certainly true when it comes to Cracker Barrel's seasonal dishes. Sometimes, these dishes aren't too far from items the chain already has on its menu, but other times, you could be in for a real surprise when you see what's on offer.

Cracker Barrel once had a summer campfire menu, with a variety of dishes served in foil in the style of an actual campfire cookout. Cracker Barrel fall menus can center favorites like butter pecan sticky buns and the mouthwatering brown sugar latte. And, if you visit during the spring, you may be able to get your hands on tasty options like a Louisiana-style shrimp skillet or strawberry peach lemonade. Don't be afraid to ask about the seasonal specials, and make sure you take advantage of the dishes that do sound good, since most won't stay on the menu forever.

You know those times when you go out to eat, take a look at the menu, and just can't decide what you want to order? We've all been there before, and it can feel like a struggle. What if you regret what you end up ordering and wish you had opted for something else? Well, at Cracker Barrel, you can minimize that risk by ordering one of the chain's sampler platters. These platters let you select a range of sides along with a main, which allows you to get a taste of various different dishes that the menu has to offer.

The grandma's sampler comes with either pancakes or French toast and provides you with a hearty start to the day that features just about every kind of classic American breakfast food you could imagine. Not in the mood for breakfast? No worries. There's also the classics country sampler, which allows you to dig into crispy homestyle chicken, meatloaf, and chicken and dumplings, plus an array of sides. It's the ideal option for those who just can't make up their minds.

If you haven't spent much time in the South, you may assume that sweet tea and iced tea are basically the same thing. Perhaps you think sweet tea is essentially just plain iced tea with a single packet of sugar stirred into the mix. But Southerners know that sweet tea is a whole different beverage from iced tea, which is important to remember when you're dining at Cracker Barrel. The chain's sweet tea is really, really sweet. If you already love Southern sweet tea, then it's absolutely worth a try. When you're not used to that intense sweetness, though, Cracker Barrel's sweet tea may be a lot more sugary than you really want.

Luckily, you can order your tea half-sweet and half-unsweetened if you don't want quite as much sugar. You can also order plain iced tea at Cracker Barrel — just be sure to underscore that you're choosing the unsweetened version.

There are times when your family is so busy that the idea of making dinner from scratch sounds completely unreasonable. And, if you're having a big get-together with friends and family, you might feel intimidated at the prospect of cooking for a crowd. It's at these times when you may want to consider ordering takeout from Cracker Barrel. And, as with dining in the restaurant, there are a few takeout ordering mistakes you'll want to avoid. It may not be the first chain restaurant you'd think of for a takeout order, but it's actually a great option since you can choose from an array of family meals and party platters.

The chain's family meals serve five and come with a main course along with several sides. There are breakfast, lunch, and dinner options to choose from, so you can order whatever your family is craving. When you have a bigger group to feed, opt for the party platters instead. These serve 10, and you can choose from a range of finger food classics that any party-goer would be excited to dig into.

There's nothing more annoying than showing up to a restaurant super hungry, only to be told that you're going to have to wait 30 minutes or more for a table to become available. If you're really hungry, you may consider going somewhere else, but ultimately, if you truly want Cracker Barrel, you may just be forced to wait while your stomach grumbles away. That's why we always recommend joining the waitlist in advance, particularly if you're visiting the restaurant during peak times.

In some cases, you may be able to call ahead to the restaurant to get your name on the waitlist. However, we think it's easier to simply reserve your spot in line on the restaurant's app. That way, you hopefully won't have to wait long at all to get your Cracker Barrel fill. And, even if you do have a few minutes to spare before you get seated at your table, you can always take a walk around the country store while you wait.