Say Goodbye To Cracker Barrel Grits: Get A More Deluxe Side With This Ordering Trick

Usually, there's a time and a place for grits. But at Cracker Barrel — where breakfast is served all day, every day — any time could be grits time. Even so, ordering them as the side to your egg scramble and crispy bacon could be a grave mistake. Word to the wise: One of the most impactful ordering tips for a better breakfast at Cracker Barrel is to upgrade that customary grits side to the Loaded Hashbrown Casserole.

Cracker Barrel's classic Hashbrown Casserole side features shredded potatoes, Colby Jack cheese, chopped onions, and a secret seasoning blend, baked until golden brown and bubbly. The "loaded" version of the savory Hashbrown Casserole ups the flavorful ante even more, piling on crumbled bacon and extra cheese. It's comforting, filling, flavorful, and, by our count, leagues better than the grits or the chain's disappointing biscuits and gravy.

It's worth noting that this ordering tip comes with an upcharge. At the Cracker Barrel location in Hammond, Indiana, for example, upgrading from the grits to the Loaded Hashbrown Casserole costs an additional $2.39. 

The Loaded Hashbrown Casserole side can be ordered with any of Cracker Barrel's popular breakfast items. It would pair especially well with meat-centric breakfast entrees like the Steak & Eggs, which comes with a 10-ounce New York Strip Steak with buttery garlic sauce, two eggs, biscuits, and a choice of side. That creamy, cheesy, savory casserole would provide the perfect double-meat duo to the protein-forward steak and umami sauce. 

Alternatively, the Loaded Hashbrown Casserole would make a great side dish for the Grandma's Sampler Pancake Breakfast. This little-bit-of-everything spread comes with two pancakes, two eggs, a sample-sized portion of bacon, sausage, and sugar-cured or country ham, and a choice of one side. Here, the casserole would serve as a hearty, meal-rounding starch element, and a savory counter to those sweet, confectionery pancakes.

Cracker Barrel customers enjoy the Hashbrown Casserole side dish all day long — and upgrading to the bacon-loaded version only makes a good thing even better. On Reddit, a fan swore by ordering a double order of it alongside the Grandpa's Country Fried Breakfast. In a response, another user said they prefer to order the Hashbrown Casserole with "either the chicken fried chicken or chicken fried steak."