6 Frequent Customer Complaints About Cracker Barrel

It seems as if Cracker Barrel is in dire straits. Business hasn't been going well for quite some time, and the recent, controversial failed rebrand has only worsened things. For over 50 years, it's been a roadside destination for fans of Southern-style American comfort food. But sadly, there have been murmurs of its decline for more than a decade, with many of the same complaints from then — like unsanitary conditions, bad customer service, and poor-quality food — mirroring those of today.

While there has been some improvement in sales over the past few months, the chain's biggest issue lies less with revenue than it does with connecting to and expanding its customer base. We're no experts at running restaurants, but if the myriad of complaints highlight anything, it's that replacing freshly made food with pre-cooked frozen food is never a good idea. Here are six frequent customer complaints about Cracker Barrel.

The downfall of Cracker Barrel should be studied. Customers are saying the food quality isn't what it used to be, and it isn't just a handful of complaints here and there. On a Reddit thread with over 100 comments about its recent decline, most people point to COVID as a turning point in how the chain operates its business. "It's not just you. It's been terrible lately. I used to make special trips. Ever since Covid it's been trash," alleged one person, who also called attention to recent changes, such as adding alcohol to the menu. And while many agree, there are others who believe the downward spiral started much earlier.

"Food quality went down bad before Covid. Home-style chicken became McDonald's McChicken microwaved patties," another person said. Along with overly dry chicken, people say that the meatloaf tastes microwaved, the bacon is flimsy and cheap, the brown gravy resembles chocolate syrup, and that they've seen better food at a random gas station. Those, however, are just some of many complaints on Reddit.

A Facebook post with 100-plus comments underscores the growing discontent among Cracker Barrel's fanbase. From poorly cooked orders and rubbery pancakes to the removal of menu items that people actually enjoyed, the chain isn't just dropping the ball; it appears to no longer understand what customers want. When a chain receives over 590 reviews on Trustpilot but still only scores 2.1 stars out of 5, things are looking pretty bleak.

When dining out, the last thing anyone should have to worry about is unsanitary conditions. But in the case of Cracker Barrel, there has been an increasing number of complaints about the lack of cleanliness. "We should have gotten up and left when we sat down at the dirty, sticky table with the dirty sticky gross menus we were handed," said one disgruntled reviewer on Complaints Board. And while the upkeep of a chain largely depends on the management, the complaints aren't exclusive to a single location.

"Most of the time the tables are not bussed and there is a distinct smell of urine throughout — like a nursing home. Floors are usually filthy," said the original poster of a Reddit thread about a college town outpost, and based on the comments, people seem to agree. A Facebook review of a Cracker Barrel in Tulsa further stoked the flames of disappointment, saying, "...the wait staff was a freak show of incompetence. Dirty tables, service dishes, thumbs/digits touching food." One location in Middleton, Ohio, for example, has received nearly 20 health code violations since 2021. Suffice it to say, with conditions that bad, it might be wise to avoid Cracker Barrel dishes altogether.

In most cases, smaller portion sizes would understandably be a red flag, but considering the amount of complaints about the food quality at Cracker Barrel, it may actually be a good thing. "My first Cracker Barrel experience was very disappointing. My order of chicken and rice seemed like a sample portion and tasted like leftovers," said someone on Yelp about a location in Rialto, CA. A couple of other reviewers pointed out the same, adding that the amount isn't worth the price, with one sharing a picture of a small chicken sandwich overloaded with pickles, possibly to compensate for the paltry protein-to-bun ratio.

One loyal customer who was shocked by the portions they received shared their disappointment on Facebook, saying, "I eat at Cracker Barrel quite a bit. But today when I ate there, I think I had the smallest servings I've ever gotten anywhere." The post garnered a considerable number of replies, most of which agreed. Even people who enjoy the food can't help but notice the shrinking servings. "I have [eaten] at this Cracker Barrel many times; my only real complaint is that the portions keep getting smaller," said a TripAdvisor review. Meanwhile, on Reddit, someone shared a picture of a meager chicken fried chicken meal, to which another person responded, "That meal looks pathetic. That's what most of us loyal C Barrel customers are upset about."

If poor-quality food, unsanitary dining conditions, and smaller portion sizes weren't enough, people are even complaining about the customer service. "I ordered roast beef, fries, and steamed broccoli, my husband ordered the fried chicken. Despite waiting for the food to come for nearly 30 minutes, it arrived cold," said one TripAdvisor reviewer about a location in Rialto, California, adding that it was the worst meal they had ever eaten in the U.S. In fact, out of the 34 reviews, the location's poor service was one of the most frequent customer complaints.

The same can be said for reviewers on Trustpilot. "Only 9 of 22 tables in our section were filled, but very slow getting us our food!!" exclaimed one customer who received a wrong order and had to constantly remind their waiter to refill their drinks. Unsurprisingly, poor customer service is also one of the top complaints here. Meanwhile, a Facebook post about the very same thing proves that it isn't exclusive to a single location. "Over the past few years, the service is lacking and the food [is] awful," one person said, which was a sentiment shared by others in the comments. If you're wondering why Cracker Barrel is failing, well, poor treatment of your customer base is as good a reason as any.

While the portions shrink, the prices at Cracker Barrel continue to rise — at least, that's what diners are saying. In a Reddit thread calling out each of the aforementioned complaints, customers made sure to add price hikes to the list. "Food is beyond bad and prices have [went] through the roof, no thanks," said one person, though the most glaring criticism came in the form of a lengthy dissertation, which ultimately pointed to corporate greed as the culprit. The sentiment echoed across another Reddit thread, too, with someone saying, "Prices went up, quality went down. If you're from corporate, tell them that freezing the bread makes it dry and disgusting."

It really seems as if customers are losing faith in Cracker Barrel, with more and more convinced that the decline in quality is a chain-wide issue, and not just case by case. "I said it before but now I mean we will never eat there again. Location doesn't matter; they are all terrible and expensive!" declared a dissatisfied Facebook user. After sifting through so many complaints, it's no surprise Cracker Barrel made our list of breakfast chains that aren't worth the money.

While we've already covered the poor food quality, there is one menu item in particular that has received an overwhelming number of complaints, and that's the biscuits. To be honest, even we consider Cracker Barrel the chain restaurant with the worst fresh biscuits, which is ironic because, according to some employees, they're no longer made fresh. "I don't have the heart or get paid enough to tell them that they are made fresh every day anymore, I'm a truthful person," said an employee on a Reddit thread about the chain's alleged switch to frozen biscuits.

Across various review sites and Reddit threads, there is no shortage of complaints, from the biscuits having an odd texture, and sometimes arriving dry and hard, to them now being smaller than they used to be. According to other employees, however, not all locations sell frozen pre-made biscuits, which doesn't really address the decline in quality, so much as it underscores a lack of chain-wide consistency. At any rate, customers shouldn't be left to wonder whether the biscuit they're eating is fresh-made or fresh out of the freezer.